Mobile Operators to Generate $20bn From Internet Voice as "Carrier OTT" Matures, Juniper Report Finds

HAMPSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM–(Marketwired – Jan 28, 2014) –  Mobile network operators will generate revenues of close to $20 billion by 2018 through strategies involving internet based voice or “carrier OTT,” a new report from Juniper Research has found. These Internet voice revenues will be derived from new service propositions and bundles delivered through partnerships with stand-alone OTT (Over The Top) service providers.

Mobile VoIP becoming mainstream

The report — Future Voice Strategies: mVoIP, Carrier OTT and Mobile Video Calling 2014-2018 — found that while OTT service providers have been successful in creating impressive user bases of mVoIP customers, many future revenue generating strategies are likely to involve traditional carriers that have a billing relationship with the end-user and guaranteed QoS (Quality of Service).

According to report author Anthony Cox, “OTT providers are turning to traditional carriers and vice versa. Together they are forming partnerships to create genuinely new service propositions, such as the ability to port a number across several devices.”  

Widespread Adoption for VoLTE

The report also observes that stand-alone mobile VoIP players are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their service offerings and are developing more ways to monetise services. Meanwhile, VoLTE (Voice over LTE) will see widespread adoption among MNOs for the increased network efficiency it affords the operator, even though direct revenues will be low.

Other key findings from the report include:

• Standard Circuit switched revenues will decline overall though this will be partially offset by new OTT revenues.
• A clear winner, Tango, has emerged in the market for OTT mobile video calling though as a sector mobile video calling is still on the starting blocks.
• Systems Integrators and software specialists such as Kineto and Amdocs will become increasingly important in creating OTT monetisation strategies for multinational operators.

A new whitepaper, ‘Voice ~ Hitting the High Notes’ is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full report and the attendant Interactive Forecast Excel, which enables clients to interrogate the assumptions behind Juniper’s forecasts and create alternative future outputs.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.