Telecom Lead India: The SMB Internet market has posted
more than 10 percent growth in 2011, which is slightly higher than the telecom
services market.
The launch of broadband services at affordable prices has
resulted in the bulk of Indian SMBs moving to broadband connectivity. DSL,
cable and wireless broadband adoption are also growing rapidly. Though instant
messaging (IM) is contributing very little towards total telecom revenues, it
has a significant role to play towards growth in overall communication revenue.
Business expansion is on the rise with 15 percent of SBs
and 22 percent of MBs planning to add new branches. The expansion is resulting
into greater collaboration and hence, voice and data communications. 24*7
connectivity has become a top priority component for Indian SMBs to gain
efficiency and broader reach. They need to provide on-the-move employees the
benefits of anytime, anywhere access.
Close to three-fourths of Indian SMBs rate improving
bandwidth to be a key strategic concern. This has resulted in their moving away
from basic dial-ups towards wired broadband services, and deploying wireless
broadband for mobile employees. A gradual shift from standalone basic phone services
(voice and web conferencing) towards data (internet access and UCs) has been
noticed. A significant number of SMBs are considering moving to VOIP and
video communications to further efficient collaboration.
SMBs have already realized the benefits of the various
applications offered on Smartphones. Benefits of smartphones and the rollout of
multiple competitively-prices plans catering to different ranges of users has
helped the smart phone market to grow at a faster pace. This, on the other hand,
has triggered growth of internet access through mobile.
Looking at the current trend of voice and data adoption
among SMBs there is immense opportunity for telcos to market integrated voice
and data mobility solutions. Entry level voice and data solutions can
definitely increase productivity and responsiveness in smaller organizations,”
said Somnath Das, analyst at AMI-Partners.
