11/27/2007 -- Don't look now, but we might be on the cusp of a looming IP phone wave. Growing adoption of voice-over-IP (VoIP) is spurring increased sales of IP phones, according to market watcher In-Stat.

The market for IP phones has been somewhat lackluster to date, in part because consumers have been able to use VoIP with their existing phones. And in the enterprise, a lot of deployments of hybrid PBXs don't have upgrade paths to new phones, according to In-Stat.

Over the next few years, the market watcher says, IP phone sales will continue to grow as the benefits of IP end-points (such as presence) resonate strongly with end-users. During the next four years, IP phone sales will explode, surging from 24.3 million this year to 93 million in 2011. Most adopters will be business customers, according to In-Stat, while IP DECT and Wi-Fi VoIP phones will be deployed primarily in specific vertical industries.

Finally, the consumer market for handsets will be driven by combo WLAN/cellular phones marketed by operators who offer FMC services. --Stephen Swoyer