Mobile Broadband Operators Scramble for VoLTE, Creating an IMS Land Rush as Ericsson and Nokia Stake Claims on the $US30 Billion Market

Everybody wants LTE, and as the first wave of LTE deployments achieve coverage, VoLTE is the next big thing. VoLTE runs on IMS, and according to ABI Research, the market will total over $US30 billion through 2019 as it becomes widespread. Leading infrastructure vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia are fully committed to VoLTE and IMS space and equip customers with this next wave in mobile broadband. Similarly, other vendors such as Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, and Cisco recognize the impact VoLTE and IMS will have on the market. These vendors are active in the VoLTE space by offering credible solutions in order to attract and retain customers.

North American operators lead the way with VoLTE driven IMS deployments, closely followed by Western European operators. IMS deployments are on a rise and will be widely deployed over the coming years. “4G LTE and VoLTE are the primary drivers for IMS on mobile broadband. ABI Research expects robust growth of VoLTE and IMS services over the next few years,” comments research analyst Sabir Rafiq. Apple’s embrace of VoLTE with the iPhone 6 raises the bar and points the way for all device manufacturers to follow. “IMS mobile core revenue corresponds directly with the popularity of VoLTE,” adds Rafiq.

The deployment of LTE is fast-tracking and is the fastest growing mobile technology ever. Operators are focusing on LTE as part of their business strategy to lower the cost of operation and increase revenues with mobile broadband. With the availability of VoLTE smartphones, operators realize benefits with improving quality in voice service, and also top-line growth with value adding services. This leads to increasing VoLTE services in smartphones, with Apple and high-end Android devices leading the way. VoLTE will become extremely important in the future and ABI Research believes competitive positioning will lead operators to VoLTE/IMS.

The IMS, RCS & VoIP (MD-IMS-156) update now includes regional VoLTE subscriptions. ABI Research believes that VoLTE subscriptions will significantly increase year-on-year as subscribers appreciate the voice quality and demand the additional services of the all-IP 4G LTE. These findings are part of ABI Research’s Telco Big Data Analytics and CEM Market Research.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.