Sales of telepresence hardware, software and services grew to $567m in 2009 and are expected to reach $2.7bn by 2015, according to a study by ABI Research.
Telepresence supplier market was active in 2009, highlighted by Cisco’s planned acquisition of Tandberg. The acquisition helped to consolidate the high end of the market, while supplier activity also created other important trends in 2009 which are expected to be significant drivers for telepresence growth, the firm said.
David Lemelin, director of the enterprise communications research service at ABI Research, said: “Nearly any size company has access to telepresence and video conferencing services. Suppliers are helping businesses transition to telepresence by introducing personal and room-based HD video conferencing solutions. Telepresence room rentals are also on the rise.”
ABI Research said that expanding options for access to telepresence products and services is critical for maintaining strong market growth.
According to the study, major trends and suppliers’ contributions that will drive the market in 2010 and beyound include, saving on travel costs particularly for companies experiencing supply chain expansion; and suppliers targeting companies with legacy video teleconferencing systems and expanding telepresence system interoperability.
In addition, other contributions to the market include, telepresence enhanced with unified communications features such as whiteboards, document sharing and webcam videos; growth of managed and cloud telepresence services from vendors; and telepresence products for mobile employees and devices.
Dan Shey, enterprise practice director at ABI Research, said: “Video conferencing products that are a step above ‘talking heads’ at reasonable price points allow companies to experience the benefits and incorporate them into their business processes. This begins a cycle of growth that will lead to using true telepresence systems.”
