9/22/2003 -- Cisco Systems announced today that the number of IT professionals holding its IP telephony-related specialty certifications "more than doubled" from December 31, 2002 to July 1, 2003.

The three titles included in this statistic -- IP Telephony Design Specialist, IP Telephony Support Specialist and IP Telephony Operations Specialist -- are part of Cisco's Qualified Specialist program. All three debuted in 2002.

The company did not release how many title holders there are total, nor did it disclose percentage growth per title.

In the press release for this announcement, Cisco said that the IP telephony industry as a whole grew 60 percent in 2002, and that analysts expect 40 percent annual growth through 2007. Cisco recently announced it has 10,000 IP telephony customers worldwide and delivered over 2 million Cisco IP phones to customers.

Cisco currently offers 13 specialty certifications along with its suite of "professional" titles, including the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). More information about the specialty titles can be found here. - Becky Nagel