Latest global business VoIP services forecasts from ABI Research shows that the value of the overall market, which includes VoIP integrated access, SIP trunking, hosted IP-PBX/IP Centrex and managed IP-PBX services, is set to double over the next five years, to exceed $20 billion by 2015.

In 2009, the market displayed growth trends counter-cyclical to the direction the wider economy was taking, to register high growths in terms of both volume and value. The new research forecasts and market analysis are part of ABI Research’s ongoing analysis of the service provider market for business VoIP services.

“The trend of companies outsourcing their communications infrastructure has taken off in earnest, as enterprise decision-makers look for cost savings without having to compromise on features and functionality,” comments senior analyst Subha Rama. “Among VoIP access technologies, SIP trunking, with its promise of trunk consolidation, centralized management and administration, and application federation across enterprises, has seen considerable growth in terms of installed base and revenues in the last 12 – 18 months.”

Much of the market growth is attributed to companies replacing their legacy phone systems with hosted VoIP technologies. Traditionally, hosted VoIP services were targeted at SMBs, especially companies with between twenty and fifty employees, but sweet-spots are emerging among larger enterprises as well. Today, hosted IP PBX services are being deployed on massively scalable cloud architectures and adopted by an increasing number of organizations, including large enterprises looking for legacy replacements. Businesses have started routinely evaluating the merits of premises-based IP PBX systems versus hosted IP PBX services when contemplating new telephony investments.

Rama adds, “Overall, the growth momentum seen in 2009 was sustained in the first half of 2010 as companies continued to shy away from capital investments, opting, instead, for the OPEX model of hosted VoIP services.” The forecasts suggest a 13% CAGR in terms of revenues and 19.6% CAGR in terms of lines between 2010 and 2015, despite growing competition from low-cost providers and price pressures in the market.

ABI Research’s new study, Business VoIP Services, analyzes key trends in the service provider market in terms of growth, technology evolution, demand patterns by vertical and horizontal industries, and competition.

It is part of the Enterprise Communications Research Service.