MOBILITY AND CONVERGENCE DRIVING IP NETWORK GROWTH

Optus released today the fourth edition of the Optus IP Index - an annual survey of Internet Protocol (IP) networking in Australia.

According to the latest Optus IP Index 2005, amongst businesses with an existing IP network:

• 37 per cent of businesses provide access to corporate networks via wireless or mobile connections;
• 47 per cent of businesses have partially or fully deployed Voice over IP (VoIP);
• 27 per cent use IP networks for videoconferencing; and
• 83 per cent of businesses provide IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to home workers.

Mobility and convergence are driving dramatic growth in IP networking with businesses connecting more users and deploying more applications over IP, according to Optus' research.

John Simon, Managing Director Optus Business, said organisations were looking for avenues to expand their use of IP, whether it was IP-based VPN connections between offices and home users or extending network access to handheld devices and 3G mobile phones.

"A growing proportion of IP traffic is over wireless or mobile networks. 37 per cent of businesses currently provide wireless access via WiFi, GPRS or 3G with 27 per cent providing access for employees via a mobile broadband connection. Meeting the market demand for a more flexible and mobile workforce, this is expected to increase in the next 12 months," Mr Simon said.

"The shift to IP telephony and network convergence is also gaining momentum. 47 per cent of businesses have partially or fully deployed VoIP, up from 30 per cent in 2003; with a further 17 per cent currently evaluating VoIP solutions or conducting trials.

"Businesses are embracing VoIP in growing numbers. We are seeing the longstanding interest in VoIP now being translated into real deployments. Cost savings is a primary driver for VoIP deployment and the experience of early adopters is that VoIP really does deliver," Mr Simon said.

"Among the businesses that have actually deployed VoIP, more than half report cost savings and better call management as the main benefits. More than one in three businesses reported improvements in productivity and 39 per cent saw an improvement in customer satisfaction.

"Following VoIP, the next most common application of convergence is videoconferencing. A quarter (27 per cent) of businesses already use IP networks for videoconferencing, which is expected to double in the next 12 months.

"The Optus IP Index 2005 further supported Optus' lead in delivering convergent solutions and demonstrated that IP networks are providing organisations with the flexibility to expand their working arrangements and improve employee productivity and mobility whilst reducing cost and complexity," he said.

Note to Editor:

• The Optus IP Index 2005 is based on interviews with 71 senior IT&T managers with network responsibility at small, medium and large commercial and government organisations that use IP networks.
• The IT&T managers were from a range of industries, including information and communications technology, banking and finance, government and education.

Media contact:
Tracy Monkman
Optus Corporate Affairs
Phone: +61 2 9342 5302