VoIP has been big business in 2018, with adoption moving from large businesses to organisations of all sizes thanks to better technology and cheaper rates.
In 2019, we can expect to see a number of new trends emerging and further impacting on telecommunications. A few of these are outlined below:
Faster networks
Network providers will continue to upgrade their technologies, meaning faster connections and even better VoIP call quality. More 5G mobile networks are expected to come online in 2019. 5G offers wireless speeds ten times faster than 4G. This will help to significantly reduce occurrences of the most common problems including call vibration, echoing and packet loss. 5G also brings faster upload/download speeds that can enable high-quality video streaming from any location. This is likely to boost the number of employees who can work remotely.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI technology has the potential to radically improve VoIP telephony systems. Prior to the call, AI can be used to recognise the signs that call quality may be low and can fix it immediately, akin to a self-healing network. By recognising issues such as low bandwidth, incorrect configuration, and high latency, AI can trigger the adjustments necessary to ensure real-time, crystal-clear calls before problems occur.
Additionally, there is scope for AI to be used to actually answer calls. Thanks to technological advances in voice recognition and processing, voice assistants are able to understand simple commands and interact directly with customers. Sound bots with voice recognition will be able to handle simple queries, freeing up human representatives to deal with more complex issues. This has the potential to increase query resolution rates and boost customer satisfaction.
Phasing out analogue/PSTN
Old phone systems will continue to be phased out. A number of major telecommunication companies have already announced their plans to phase out PSTN and ISDN systems. VoIP is the system of choice for businesses today and in the future and offers cheap calls, great features, hosting, support, and upgrades, all for a fixed monthly fee.
Increased investment in security
Whilst VoIP brings many advantages, there have been a number of concerns raised about just how secure it is. It is vulnerable to a number of threats including phreaking, vishing, viruses/malware, Denial of Service (Dos) attacks, Spamming over Internet Telephone (SPIT), call tampering, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Expect to see increased investment in security as mature providers such as IDT continue to find ways to deal with this.
Hosted PBX
The shift from on-premise PBX systems to those that are hosted in the cloud will continue. More businesses are realising the benefits of opting for Hosted PBX and many start-ups are opting for this as a way of keeping down initial costs and reducing the need for equipment/premises.
Wholesale VoIP termination
At IDT, we have extensive experience of VoIP and telecommunications and we provide a unique blend of wholesale and retail VoIP termination services. If you are looking to transition from traditional phone systems to VoIP, why not give our experts a call today?
