VoIP Providers Boom Worldwide

If the phenomenal growth in the number of new providers is any indication, The voice over IP (VoIP) business is booming like the Klondike gold rush.

According to research from Canadian broadband equipment maker Sandvine, more than 1,100 VoIP providers worldwide had opened shop by the first week of April. They range from established telecommunications carriers and cable providers, to small startups and free Internet telephone application developers.

"ISPs can enhance the broadband experience by prioritizing or reserving bandwidth for latency-sensitive and interactive applications like VoIP," Sandvine managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa said Chris Colman said in a statement. "For ISPs planning to bring their own VoIP services to market, it is imperative they understand how many minutes are already being consumed by subscribers."

Sandvine's research was based on the analysis of traffic on its customers networks. The company's ISP customers collectively boast 20 million broadband subscribers worldwide.