MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Deploying Vo4G is crucial to service providers’ success, according to Maravedis’ first report on wireless VoIP market trends, “VoIP over 4G (Vo4G): Opportunities, Challenges and Deployment Trends” (www.maravedis-bwa.com).

“LTE, like WiMAX, is being optimized for VoIP performance. When it is deployed the bulk of revenue will still be from voice, so the Vo4G customer experience must be equivalent to 3G. A shift from dual-mode networks with 3G voice and 4G data will gradually occur, capitalizing on the added efficiency of fully-packetized networks,” says Maravedis’ CEO Adlane Fellah.

VoIP-capable multimode (WiMAX, 3G, LTE) mobile Internet devices (MIDs) will increase the value proposition, subscription rates and ARPU.

“Vendor selection is key,” says the report’s co-author Basharat Ashai. “WiMAX doesn’t address Quality of Service (QoS) for voice traffic, so it’s up to equipment vendors to develop vertical applications and OSS/BSS capabilities targeted towards the WiMAX market.”

“WiMAX and LTE will be the first wireless access standards fully capable of supporting VoIP, by incorporating low delay and sufficient QoS and bandwidth” added Mr. Fellah. Though the key parameters are available, delivering a voice access system on an end-to-end basis remains technically challenging.

Key Findings of Report:

* VoIP ties up more processing power than non-voice applications.

* Guidelines for VoIP packet classification are lacking, so carriers can find themselves on their own as they build their VoIP wireless network.

* There are 300,000 Vo4G subscribers worldwide. Europe has a share of 35%, followed by Asia Pac with 25%.

* To increase ARPU, fixed VoWiMAX should be positioned as a wireline replacement technology and prime solution for CPE-based residential phone service.

* Compared to WiMAX, LTE has a shorter frame size to reduce delay—1ms vs. 5ms in 802.16e-2005.

* 3G+ operators’ attitudes towards VoIP are split between those afraid of losing revenues and those embracing the open platform.

MARAVEDIS is a leading analyst firm focusing on disruptive technologies including smart distributed networks using WiMAX, and 3GPP/LTE.