Videophone Technology Market Trends

摘要

The recent war in Iraq showcased videophone technology that brought live reports from the battlefield into households all over the world. For the most part, satellite videophones were used for live, on-the-scene reporting. These highly portable units cost from $7500 to $24,000. For enterprise use, lower cost solutions are available that work over IP and Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks. Videophone technology is finally starting to meet the performance and feature requirements of enterprise users, which typically have the bandwidth to spare for this application. With price points that were unheard of just a few years ago, the market for videophones is poised for significant growth. Companies and consumers alike will feel more comfortable about spending on new technologies if the US economy can start moving again during the next few years. In Asia, there is more consumer demand for videophones that work on 3G and Wi-Fi networks, particularly in China and Japan.