WebRTC World Feature Article Free eNews Subscription

March 24, 2014

Study Sees Market Gains for Videoconferencing, Telepresence Equipment


The market for videoconferencing and telepresence in general has been on something of a climb for a while now, as more companies realize the value of being able to communicate with remote locations while not actually having to travel to said locations. Savings on business travel and the ability to better harness a remote workforce are just the start of these benefits. Not surprisingly, the market for the tools needed to accomplish these goals has likewise increased, and a recent study from Infonetics Research shows just how far up the concept goes.

The word from Infonetics Research's fourth quarter 2013 report—along with its year-end look—titled “Enterprise Telepresence and Video Conferencing Equipment” showed off some of the numbers in the sector, as well as some more specific points about gains and losses in the sector. Overall, while 2012 was a bit on the flat side, 2013 saw some gains, bringing back five percent growth year-over-year and bringing the total market sector to $3.2 billion. In this sector, videophones saw the biggest growth, with shipments of such devices doubling in 2013 to clear one million units shipped. While immersive telepresence systems are down overall, the sector is off the lows, so to speak, with a slight growth seen in the second half of 2013.

Meanwhile, much of this growth came from the Asia-Pacific field, as well as the Europe / Middle East / Africa (EMEA) region, both turning in eight percent over the previous year. North America, meanwhile, saw some decline in this field, down two percent. The long-term forecast for the enterprise videoconferencing and telepresence market was for a three percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the period from 2013 to 2018.

Infonetics Research directing analyst for enterprise networks and video, Matthias Machowinski, offered up a bit of commentary on the results of the study, noting that the demand for video capability at the enterprise level is “at an all-time high,” but the enterprise's willingness to spend is not. Videoconferencing is therefore being seen as more of a personal activity, and complete room systems and telepresence suites are being hit accordingly. But videophones, as seen previously, are making big gains in the field by offering much the same capability at a lower price point. Additionally, an increasingly competitive market is driving some further gains and losses in the field.

Basically, videoconferencing and telepresence are making for some major advantages in the field, but the costs to get in on the action have companies concerned. There's a lot of room here to make some gains, of course, but companies selling such alternatives have to really press the value proposition and show how a product will either save money or help make more to mollify concerns on price. Value is the order of the day for a lot of products, it seems, and the better job that can be done to express value, the better a potential product offering has. The growth of systems like Web-based real time communications (WebRTC) and services like Skype has made videoconferencing a much smaller, simpler affair and made many turn attention in this direction rather than the larger full-room system.

Still, considering videoconferencing and telepresence's capabilities in terms of saving money and potentially fueling further revenue gains, there should be some room in this sector for sales numbers to bounce back.




Edited by Rory J. Thompson
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]




FOLLOW US

Free WebRTC eNewsletter

Sign up now to recieve your free WebRTC eNewsletter for all up to date news and conference details. Its free! what are you waiting for.