Voice over IP has the potential to reinvent communications. More people are using the Internet to make phone calls, letting them completely bypass the phone company and its charges. But VoIP has even bigger implications. Imagine a world in which voice, E-mail, and instant messaging are bundled into one convenient service, and you can choose among them with just one click. Such a world might not be that far away. Spending by U.S. companies and public-sector organizations on voice-over-IP systems will grow to $903 million this year, up from $686 million in 2004, according to research firm Gartner. Investment in hybrid systems, which handle VoIP and conventional calls, will grow from $1.5 billion to $2 billion. By 2007, Gartner predicts, 97% of new phone systems installed in North America will be VoIP or hybrids.
展开▼
