Slashdot Mirror


2.7 Million VOIP Subscribers in the United States

prostoalex writes "There are 2.7 million paying VOIP customers in the United States, according to research by TeleGeography. The whole industry will generate $220 million this year, with Vonage leading as far as customer number."

4 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. 911? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is this still a shortcoming of VOIP? If so, that's a lot of people without a lifeline.

  2. Yeah... but the problem is.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ..that you "don't matter", since you're "leeching" and not "generating millions for the industry".. :|

  3. POTS by ClaraBow · · Score: 2, Insightful

    is still the most reliable for me. When the power goes out (often), I still have my phone working and can even use dial-up to send a quick email. The technology is very simple and super reliable, so it won't go away anytime soon.

  4. Something doesn't add up. by tdemark · · Score: 4, Insightful

    $220 million / 2.7 million users = $81.48 / year
    $81.48 per year / 12 month = $6.79 / month

    The average VOIP account only is only $6.79 per month? That doesn't seem right. I have one of the cheaper accounts available ($14.99, VoicePulse), so I am a little skeptical of that number.

    From the linked article, Vonage has 750,000 customers. Assuming they are all on the cheapest plan:

    750,000 x $14.99 x 12 = 134,910,000

    Which would mean for all non-Vonage VOIP customers:

    $85 million / 2 million customers / 12 months = $3.54 per month per customer

    Given the other players involved (VoicePulse, Voicewing, AT&T, Time Warner), I have a hard time believing that number.

    - Tony