SoHo know-how

The number of US households with income-generating or corporate home offices are more than twice as likely to implement VoIP in the next 12 months compared with households in general, a newly published study has revealed.

Currently, almost 40 per cent of corporate home offices and 23.7 per cent of home-based businesses are interested in or using VoIP. In contrast, only 10.8 per cent of households without home offices are VoIP aware, IDC reported.

"Home offices will adopt VoIP communications at a faster rate than US households overall," said Chris Hazelton, senior analyst, SMB research at IDC.

"Although cost savings are important, features such as convergence with mobile phones will be increasingly important to home offices in the long run."

The report, Home Office Households Set the Stage for Consumer VoIP Adoption, also noted that, although VoIP has moved beyond the very earliest adoption stage, many home office households are reluctant to use VoIP as their only telephone service, and would rather add it as a second method of communication.

Savings on long distance calls continue to be the key driver of initial interest in VoIP by home offices, according to the study.