VoWiFi - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

The VoWiFi Market size is estimated at USD 8.12 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 18.63 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of greater than 18.06% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

As a natural step toward IP-based communication, most operators are expected to offer both VoWiFi and VoLTE services, which could improve indoor network coverage.

Key Highlights

• The use of a WiFi network for voice services is known as "voice over WiFi" (VoWiFi). The WiFi network and the voice components that support the voice system are typically the end user's personal property. Mobile operators (Telcos) are attempting to take advantage of these potential business opportunities as more and more people become accustomed to WiFi technology by providing VoWiFi to homeowners and businesses. They also want to make their service available in more places by putting in faster broadband connections.
• The market is being driven by the elimination of the indoor coverage issue. For users, poor cellular reception in homes, workplaces, and stores is a serious problem. People with inadequate interior coverage may take extreme measures to receive a signal, such as leaning out of windows. VoWiFi enables customers to reliably place and receive calls, even while they are indoors, without having to upgrade their handsets or install new hardware.
• The proliferation of high-speed internet and increased accessability to broadband services have significantly impacted the market. China's internet population increased by 11 million in June 2023 compared to December 2022. According to Speedtest, as of April 2023, Qatar had the fastest average mobile internet connections globally, nearly 190 Mbps. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Macau followed, with each of these countries registering average median speeds above 170 Mbps.
• Maintenance, however, presents a challenge because carriers are not accountable for diagnosing and fixing WiFi networks. Residential WiFi users and corporate IT teams should be held accountable. Additionally, VoWiFi does not yet support E-911, which is restricting the market.
• Because of extensive lockdowns and the need to socially isolate oneself, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic increased dependency on the Internet. It enabled family and friends to communicate, businesses and governments to operate, students to study, and patients to get healthcare services. This increased reliance on the Internet made it more important to both build out the Internet and close the digital divide.
• Due to the rising use of WiFi in homes for better call connectivity during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, the VoWiFi market experienced a surge in income creation. The rapid growth of the industry was also expected to be driven by the need for businesses to improve employee communication for smooth operations and the need to use cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

VoWiFi Market Trends

Public WiFi Hotspot to Gain Significant Market Share

• Users can continue to place calls over a general access network without the need for a nearby cell tower. The availability of public WiFi hotspots is driving the need for additional VoWiFi in addition to providing coverage for areas with poor cell reception. Because cell tower coverage is substantially weaker in rural regions than it is in cities, this encourages more consumers to use public WiFi.
• In India, the government has mandated five WiFi hotspots in each of the 250,000 gram panchayats, or village blocks, for public utility services as part of the mega initiative to digitally connect the nation. To help public data offices, the government wants to set up 10 million WiFi hotspots by 2022.
• By using WiFi hotspots rather than the carrier network to make calls, customers may exploit the increase in WiFi hotspots to assist operators in freeing up their spectrum. Operators might reduce their capital expenditures as a result.
• In order to reduce churn, operators are expected to use VoWiFi to extend coverage, especially indoors and in places with weak cellular coverage. This strategy could boost market growth in the future.
• According to Telecom Advisory Service, in 2018, there were roughly 3,437 million gigabytes of total free Wi-Fi traffic. By 2023, the volume of traffic is anticipated to increase by roughly threefold.

North America is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share

• The Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) market in North America is expected to grow in the coming years due to increasing demand for high-quality, seamless voice communication services. The rise of remote work and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trends have also driven the growth of VoWiFi in the region.
• Nowadays, a lot of companies encourage their staff to conduct work-related tasks remotely using their own mobile devices. BYOD (bring your own device), an increasingly popular trend, gives employees more freedom to telework and access company information resources. Protecting the privacy of employees and making sure that an organization's data is safe when it is accessed through personal devices are both problems and threats.
• In North America, roaming rates are very high, with the time spent on roaming trips being the highest among all other regions. So, with VoWiFi, roaming charges are likely to go down, and the area may see more people using data roaming.
• North American telecom operators and service providers are investing in the development and deployment of VoWiFi technology to meet the growing demand for advanced communication services. The market is characterized by the presence of several large and established players, as well as a number of start-ups and small players.
• For instance, in February 2023, Virgin Media O2 and Mavenir announced the full migration of O2 mobile customers to its virtualized IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution, which offers voice over LTE (VoLTE) and voice over WiFi. Mavenir is a network software provider building the networks of the future with cloud-native applications that work on any cloud (VoWiFi). Virgin Media O2 is cutting the link between hardware and software by virtualizing its network. By letting users access a variety of apps that are all on the same platform, virtualization makes Virgin Media O2's network more flexible and effective. It also cuts costs and opens the door for possible improvements and new services.

VoWiFi Industry Overview

The voice-over WiFi (VoWiFi) market is moving toward fragmentation as the competitive rivalry increases. Global players in the market are innovating new technologies to make them more helpful and efficient for consumers. Key players in the market are Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Oracle Corporation. Recent developments in the market are:

• In 12 states nationwide, Vodafone Idea (Vi) were to provide VoWi-Fi calling service. It is a crucial service, especially for improving consumers' coverage experiences. Many individuals utilize it inside their homes because they don't have adequate indoor mobile network coverage. Only 12 states, including Maharashtra and Goa, UP West, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, UP East, Delhi, the rest of Bengal, Mumbai, and Haryana, provide Vodafone Idea.

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