A new research report claims that businesses in China have yet to embrace internet protocol (IP) telephony to the same degree as many other industrially advanced nations.
According to the report, by independent analysts Ovum, only 16% of those companies in China questioned by researchers confirmed they had adopted IP telephony within their organisation.
Ovum senior analyst, Jane Wang, sayid that her group has identified two main factors appearing to discourage IP telephony take-up among businesses in China.
The first factor, according to Wang, is the costs associated with IP telephony in China. These costs include the necessary hardware – including business VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phone handsets – and specialist maintenance fees.
The second deterring factor, says Wang, is the relative difficulty in China of modifying existing business phone systems.
In some other countries, including the UK, businesses are currently often able to overcome such barriers to IP telephony adoption by using the services of a business VoIP provider or VoIP reseller; and by installing session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking technology.
By linking up with a business VoIP provider or VoIP reseller, for example, a company can benefit from the use of IP telephony technology remotely, without having to invest in the necessary equipment itself. SIP trunking, on the other hand, is a relatively cost effective way of adapting existing landline-based business phone systems so as to be able to send and receive IP telephony communications.
IP telephony is known to facilitate easier transmission and reception of complex data packages; greater management control over telephone lines and extensions; and reduced phone costs through the use of business VoIP rather than conventional landlines. It now remains to be seen of course, as many commentators would assert, whether the delays in adopting IP telephony in China will undermine the country’s business competitiveness.
