SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Unified Messaging will supplant traditional voice mail systems – which will disappear from the market by the end of 2009, reports tech research company In-Stat.
UM and UM-capable shipments will rise from 8.4 million seats in 2005 to 11.7 million seats in 2010. UM is also beginning to grow beyond traditional voice mail, PC-based e-mail, and fax messaging.
"Interfaces associated with wireless personal digital assistants (PDA), Blackberries, and mobile phones are beginning to garner consideration in UM," says Norm Bogen, In-Stat analyst. "With the growing popularity of 802.11-based systems in the workplace, at home, and in public spaces, and the upcoming introduction of dual-mode WiFi/mobile phones, the need for compatibility with such devices will clearly intensify."
Annual end-user revenues from UM/UM-capable equipment will rise from US$506.4 million in 2005 to US$628.6 million by 2010, adds the report. While Avaya continues to hang on to the top position relative to the overall market, Nortel became the UM leader in 2005 – and new IP architectures put Microsoft and other large data players even more squarely in the middle of the communications picture.
