By John Levett

The prospects of mobile video calling have improved in the last eighteen months due to the launch of mobile video calling services by major industry players, increased availability of front-facing cameras on smartphones and underlying technology improvements finds a recently released study by Juniper Research.

mVoIP to Herald New Business Models

The increasing dominance of the smartphone in developed markets, meanwhile, and the simplicity of the app download model have improved the market for mVoIP delivered through mobile clients downloaded to the handset, although there are still few alliances between MNOs and mVoIP service providers, finds Juniper Research.

The role that voice plays within the broader mobile communications market will change as it becomes available within other applications such as gaming and social networking, finds the Mobile Voice & Video Calling report. Alliances between Facebook and several mVoIP service providers, and the high profile acquisition of Skype by Microsoft are expected to accelerate this trend.

Mobile Video Calling Prospects

“Services such as Apple’s FaceTime have brought mobile video calling to the public consciousness,” says Anthony Cox, Associate Analyst at Juniper Research. However the report also finds that lack of a standardised approach and the absence of a clear route to monetise new IP-based mobile video calling services may hold back mobile video calling from becoming a truly mass-market service for the foreseeable future.

Further findings include:

• Mobile VoIP and mobile video calling services will develop significantly faster in developed markets due to the direct correlation between 3G and 4G roll outs and the take up of mobile VoIP and mobile video calling.

• Revenues from the circuit switched voice market will continue to diminish over the next five years, although this is not expected to accelerate.

• Many basic mobile video calling services are offered for free by players wishing to kick-start the market.

Mobile Voice & Video Calling Whitepaper and further details of the study “Mobile Voice & Video Calling: Strategic Opportunities & Business Models 2011-2016” can be downloaded from www.juniperresearch.com.

About the author

John Levett is PR at Juniper Research, a company which provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.