IP telephony is one of the top two most common technological enhancements adopted by utility companies across Western Europe, a new survey has revealed.
The survey, by specialist energy marketing research organisation, IDC Energy Insights, reveals that along with cloud computing, IP (internet protocol) telephony is currently being taken up by over 50% of Western European utilities.
According to IDC Energy Insights, in-house business phone systems capable of handling IP telephony applications, including business VoIP (voice over internet protocol), are the most widely featured telephony technologies utilised by Western European utilities. IDC Energy Insights claims this is likely to remain the case for the next two years at least.
IP telephony is known to have several advantages over conventional telephone line technology; not least because it facilitates greater control over the management of business phone systems, including easier and more effective re-routing of customer calls.
The survey also identified a greater familiarity with new technologies in general among the utilities canvassed than was the case the previous year when a similar survey was carried out.
The utilities featured in the survey were based in the UK, Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
The take up of IP telephony by utility companies in these countries is mirrored by the growing adoption of IP telephony and business VoIP among small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe as a whole.
Unlike the utility companies surveyed however, most SMEs have not chosen to invest in in-house IP telephony technologies; other than perhaps to install SIP trunking in existing business phone systems in order to modify the latter to receive IP telephony signals.
Instead, many SMEs have sought to save money by securing IP telephony via a host supplier such as a business VoIP provider or VoIP reseller.
