The Australian telecommunication industry
involves the availability and use of electronic devices and services such as
telephone, radio, television and computer for the purpose of communication. With
the growing participation in the digital economy, communication trends in
Australia are continuously shifting from fixed-line voice telephony to online
and mobile based communication. The growing penetration and usage of internet
has changed the Australia’s communication landscape.
The Sectoral Growth
As on June 2014, Australia has 31.01
million of mobile subscribers in the country. These numbers are marginally
decline compare to the previous year due to diverse factors, however showing
potential for further growth. Further, there is a constant replacement trend of
existing mobile handset with smartphones, with 12.09 million people using smart
phone at May 2014, grown to 8% since 2013. This has further led to increase the
number of mobile internet subscribers in the country –increase by 5% to 26.52
million subscribers during the same period of time. Overall, Australia has 33.05
million of total internet subscribers (26.52 mobile internet subscribers +5.95
fixed line subscribers) reported 90% of the internet penetration in the
country. As per Broadband Commission for Digital
Development, Australia ranked fourth in terms of mobile-internet penetration
per 100 inhabitants across the 138 country of the world during December 2013.
The Emerging Trends
The numbers of fixed-line telephone
subscribers are constantly declining due to people’s more inclination towards
multipurpose mobile phone services. As of June 2014, Australia has 9.19 million
of fixed-line telephone subscribers, which might be further decline in coming
days. The key emerging trends of Australian telecommunication sector is
significant growth of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) as medium of
communication. Registering a healthy growth of 6%, VoIP users are increased to
4.87 million during June 2014. The major growth of VoIP usage related to the
use of OTT services via mobile phones and tablets (increased 41% and 48%
respectively).
The increasing growth of VoIP
communication services in Australia providing challenge to the fixed and mobile
voice revenue streams. This remarkable growth of VoIP over tablets and mobile
phone is due to rapid take-up of smartphones handsets and availability of easy
to use application by VoIP service providers (e.g. Skype, TringMe) which
encourage the use VoIP facility in these devices.
The growth in the use of VoIP permit
phone calls including telemarketing calls, to be made from virtually everywhere
in the world with marginal or no cost. As a result, VoIP is emerged as one of
the best alternatives for cheap international calls in Australia and across the globe. Furthermore, the Australia’s
business relations are spread across the global economies and vice-versa;
requires constant international communication to be made either through
traditional or VoIP facilities. The major numbers of international callers
prefer VoIP as the best and cheapest communication option to make cheap calls to Australia.
Original Article Source: Articlesbase: Emerging Trends of VoIP in Australian Telecommunication Industry