BT to go out on a limb with VoIP in 2006

摘要

In a radical move for a European incumbent, BT will al-low consumers to subscribe to its voice-over-IP (VoIP) services without having to rent one of its broadband or PSTN lines starting this year. The plan highlights the importance the UK incumbent is placing on IP-based value-added services (VAS) as it seeks to reduce its reliance on its primary sources of revenue, access lines and traditional calls. As with most incumbents, these revenues account for the vast majority of BT Retail's income from consumers, but are under growing pressure from unbundling operators, fixed-to-mobile substitution and rival VoIP services. As a result, BT and its European counterparts have launched residential VoIP services over the past year or so in order to respond to such competition, but in a manner that avoids cannibalisation of their access and call revenues.