The rapid changes in the voice communications market are attributed to a variety of factors, including more widely available broadband, developments in over-the-top (OTT) communications, and the widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets.
A new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) shows that Voice over Internet Protocol services have been a substantial part of the change in the voice communications market since 2010, with consumers continuing to take advantage of cheaper or free over-the-top (OTT) services such as Skype and Viber.
As ACMA reports, currently, Australian consumers have access to two main types of VoIP services:
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• Managed VoIP services bought through a service provider
• Over-the-top (OTT) VoIP delivered by an application that is run over the top of another carriage service.
The proportion of adults using OTT VoIP services - on mobile phones, tablet devices, or laptop or desktop computers - increased from 15 to 24% in the four years to 2014.
But, ACMA says that consumers are less satisfied with their VoIP service than their fixed-line and mobile phone services – 77% are satisfied or very satisfied with their VoIP service compared to 89% for fixed-line phones and 86% for mobile phones.
For those, however, with a paid subscription to a VoIP service, satisfaction levels increase up to 84%.
