VoIP is short for Voice over IP: a protocol for transmitting voice via the Internet Protocol. So, it’s similar to telephony but uses a different medium for communication. As the Internet became widespread, they slowly pushed out traditional telephony, and while SIM cards are still used, they are mostly our mobile Internet sources, as most people use smartphones for digital media and other Internet activities.
As standard telephony goes into the past, VoIP app development becomes an actual topic. Let’s dive into it to see how it facilitates communication around the world.
The 2023 relevance
VoIP usage in business drastically increased in the 2010s: from 6 to 42 million VoIP lines! To estimate its relevance now and how it’ll increase in the near future, see the statistics below. It shows the global VoIP market size in billions of USD. As you see, it grows very quickly, and the tendency continues.
So, mobile VoIP apps can be a good niche to start a business. There are already major applications with millions of users, so you may think that there’s no more place, but look closer: each of these applications has its own niche and target audience. Discord, for example, attracts mostly gamers, coders, and geeks in general. Telegram is a highly safe general-purpose messenger used by those who want to communicate with fellows and read local channels. Viber and WhatsApp share their simplicity and therefore are widely used for messaging, file transfer, and calls without bothering with other functions. Google Meets, Zoom, and Skype are used for video calls and conferences mostly, orienting on distance work and education.
No wonder these apps are widespread. They connect the world, which is very important today when quintillions of bits of information are flowing everywhere. All of us want to be in touch with friends and close ones and be able to know everything we want. VoIP apps enable us to do this. They open channels of information transfer, and that’s why you’ll find an actual topic here.
Why they are so popular
In a post-COVID era, online communications have become extremely widespread, enabling people to solve the problem of isolation and facilitating their life. Many social networks implement VoIP technologies to enable voice and video calls. While opportunities for global digital communication have existed for more than 10 years, it has become increasingly popular only now.
Before 2020, while distance education, work, and communication, in general, were in use, they weren’t so widespread. There is a class of people, digital nomads, who prefer to work remotely, but they were often considered outsiders among others. Companies were hesitant to allow employees to work online constantly. Now, however, the situation is changing: 66% of U.S. employees at least partly work remotely, and the digital nomad style is becoming increasingly attractive.
The convenience, security, and efficiency of digital communications were proven by the pandemic, and now their popularity is growing even faster.
Usage examples
There are many situations when VoIP apps may help you, and you probably have many of them in your life. Let’s see several examples where they can be used.
Business communication: between team members, departments, and even different businesses can be conducted with their functionalities. Voice and video calls for meetings and conferences solve the problem of communication, which used to be the pain point of many organizations.
International calling without hefty international charges of traditional telephony. Roaming is usually expensive, and before the widespread of VoIP, it was a rarity when you were able to hear your friend or lover from another country. Now, however, you can call them via Telegram virtually for free, only making sure that you’ll pay for the Internet and that the connection will be stable on both sides.
Remote work is a large field where VoIP apps have found their niche. They allow team members to connect and communicate from anywhere. As many office work types may be performed online and remotely, such applications create a virtual environment where people may work conveniently and safely.
Customer support and service can be easily provided by integrating VoIP with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Here, support teams can handle customer inquiries and provide assistance quickly and efficiently, either via messages or voice.
Personal communication, such as with friends, family, and colleagues, is also important, as it’s natural for people to communicate.
Video sessions include webinars, live streamings, and similar activities to share information or feature something. Journalists, bloggers, gamers, educators, and many others widely use VoIP technologies for these purposes.
While before, the usage of such an application was not so widespread, today, it’s more a necessity than a whim. People used them in cases when physical presence was unavailable or inaccessible, for example, being in different countries or when a student is ill and cannot physically attend classes.
Now, however, they are used on a regular basis more and more, solving communication problems and improving efficiency in general. The conscious usage of VoIP apps greatly improves the competitiveness of a company or an individual. While it may have negative psychological effects due to the inability to express everything digitally and a lack of physical connection, it’s still highly useful. The picture below illustrates what these effects look like. To avoid them, think about digital health and organize your time wisely.
If you don’t fear these consequences and know how to cope with them, you can think about developing your own VoIP app concept. So, how to start?
How to create your own?
Now, when you see how and where these apps are used, let’s ask the question: would you like to enter this market?
- Develop a concept for your VoIP app and make sure to determine your target audience and purposes clearly. As mentioned, such apps have their niches, and you should find and choose one to be successful based on your intentions and market data.
- Build a prototype with the VoIP functionality and minimum additional features to test them. In this stage, think about design, colors, all desired features, and their destinations. Remember that you’ll need a lot of servers for your VoIP app to let users keep their files and other data.
- Test it and try to attract customers, as you need to form a stable user community (or self-organizing communities, which will be much better).
- Develop a final version of the application by refining the prototype based on the test results. Add all desired features, for example, bot creation within the app, and make sure they all work properly.
- Maintain your app, gather feedback, provide constant customer support, and issue updates regularly.
Keep in mind this list while developing. Remember, you need to choose a developer carefully, organize your team, and determine which platform you’ll use.
Future prospects
So, there are plenty of VoIP apps, and frankly speaking, you’ll barely be the only one who strives to develop a new one.
The rise of the market will continue and probably even become faster for the next several years. Many new apps for various purposes are emerging and will emerge. New technologies, such as the decentralized Web3 protocols based on blockchain, are already labeled as the future of web communication. There are already applications utilizing them, such as blue sky.In addition, new emerging economies in densely populated developing countries, from India to Nigeria, are adopting VoIP apps actively, contributing to the market.
