According to a new report from eMarketer, the popularity of VoIP telephony services will continue to see significant growth for at least the next four years.

The number of VoIP users in the US will climb from 5.2 million this year, to 32.6 million in 2010, eMarketer predicts. The report attributes the majority of this growth to the much lower costs of VoIP when compared to other telephone plans.

"With most VoIP offers ranging from $15 to $30 per month for unlimited local and long distance calls across the U.S. and Canada, price will be the primary driver for the VoIP industry in the short term," the report predicts. "Those that survive the fierce price competition are likely to be companies able to offer advanced voice features and other service bundles."

In the mean time, the level of pricing competition will likely present the biggest benefits to online media and advertising companies. Last month, broadband phone provider, Vonage was the biggest single online advertiser, serving a total of 16.6 million ad impressions, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Telecom giant, Verizon, which also offers VoIP service, was also contributed a lot to the internet marketing mediascape, with 6.2 million impressions served.

(Originally published by TeleClick.ca on April 10, 2006)

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Jeremy Maddock is a well-known technology blogger who writes articles about VoIP providers and the telecommunications industry in general.