Member Article

Video Calling will improve but demand won’t soar

VIDEO calling will become cheaper, more widely available and of much improved quality in 2011, according to experts.

Despite this, The Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) practice at Deloitte believes that the long-awaited boom in demand will not happen.

The vast majority of calls will continue to be voice-based meaning video will exceed the needs of most businesses.

David Wilkinson, Deloitte lead partner for TMT in Newcastle comments: “This year’s predictions cover a range of topics, including that 400 million new phones with forward-facing cameras will be sold and that people are not yet ready to make video a regular part of their lives.

“Although the public’s appetite for smartphones shows no sign of slowing down, demand for data passing through wi-fi hotspots is set to outstrip the amount of traffic carried over mobile networks by between 25 - 50 per cent next year. “

“Wi-fi is set to become the default network for video applications with just one hour of video streaming over a 3G network eating up an entire month’s data allowance on most contracts.”

Additionaly The TMT predict that Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks which will usher in the era of 4G services will fall short of expectations next year as the roll-out of new infrastructure proves slower than forecast due to a continuing dependence on 3G.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .