FYI. GVIL's a player in this market :Frost & Sullivan: Internet
Protocol (IP) Faxing, How to Find Your Niche in a Highly
Fragmented Market
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Faxing by way of the Internet; what will they think of next? Internet protocol (IP) faxing is the latest trend allowing users to fax documents over data networks that use the Internet protocol.
According to new strategic research from Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.com), World Internet Protocol Faxing Markets, the Internet will gradually become the medium of choice for faxing. In 1997, the total IP faxing traffic is projected to reach 5.9 million minutes per day. Traffic is expected to grow, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 98 percent, to 89.6 million minutes per day by the end of 2001. Additionally, in 1997, 14,175 faxing gateway ports are projected to be sold. The total number of units sold are expected to grow, with a CAGR of 75 percent, to 134,000 gateway ports by the end of 2001.
IP faxes can originate from and terminate at different types of devices. Possible combinations are: fax machine to fax machine, fax machine to personal computer (PC), PC to fax machine, and PC to PC.
''The cost-effectiveness associated with IP faxing as well as the increasing ubiquity of IP networks will precipitate this growth,'' says Frost & Sullivan's Telecommunications Industry Analyst Francois Eric de Repentigny. ''Most of the growth in IP faxing will take place over the Internet rather than on X.25 and frame relay networks.''
Currently, the IP faxing market is highly fragmented in terms of business models. It is very rare to see two firms having the same type of product or service offering. Most vendors are striving to find that vacant niche for their offerings in order to prevent other vendors from directly competing with them. Some vendors will focus on services, others will offer equipment, and some will offer a combination of both.
So how will vendors stay afloat in this market? Due to the embryonic nature of the IP faxing market, vast opportunities exist for informed companies to take advantage of low competitor market shares. This research discusses market players in terms of what they offer, helping users identify where the competition is and where the competitors of tomorrow are likely to come from.
''The market for IP faxing services is also very fragmented because competitors from what were traditionally two distinct markets, -- the enhanced fax service bureau and the ISP markets -- are converging to create the IP faxing market,'' says de Repentigny. ''This convergence is very recent and the market shares are likely to change over the coming year.''
The market size in terms of traffic is increasing, but the increasing number of IP faxing service providers is leading to a decrease in market shares for most incumbents.
Leading enhanced fax services bureaus, such as Xpedite Systems and MediaTel Corporation, will fight to retain their market share in an expanding market by offering various fax-related services. On the other hand, ISPs will form alliances to offer global IP faxing services and will also offer enhanced services such as fax broadcast, fax-on-demand, and so forth.
This Telecommunications Industry research has integrated the Market Engineering consulting philosophy into the entire research process. Critical phases of this research included: identification of industry challenges, market engineering measurements, strategic recommendations, planning and market monitoring. All of the vital elements of this system help the market participants navigate successfully through the telecommunications market.
The technologies reviewed include: IP faxing, Internet faxing, the Internet, frame relay networks, X.25 networks, Internet protocol (IP), G1, G2, G3, G3-bis, G4, T.30 protocol, V.34 modems, fax broadcasting, fax on demand, fax mailboxes, never-busy fax, email to fax, fax to email, and fax scheduled delivery.
Market participants include: AimQuest Corporation, AlphaNet Telecom, Inc., Brooktrout Technology, Inc., Business Communications Management, Copia International, Delta Three, Inc., Dialogic/GammaLink, Epigraphx, EUnet International, Faxaway, Fax International & Unifi Communications, Inc., Faxsav, Incorporated, Global Exchange Carrier, Inc., Graphnet, Inc., GTX International, IDT Corporation, Intellectual Telecommunication Systems Group, The Internet Company of New Zealand, ipUniversal Network, JFAX.COM, Linkon Corporation, Lucent Technologies Bell Labs Innovation, MediaTel, MiBridge, Inc., MICOM Communications Corporation., Natural MicroSystems Corporation, NETCOM On-Line Communication Services, NKO, Inc., NLNET, Omicron Telesystems, Omnitel, Inc., Planet Telecommunications, Inc., Plusnet, AG, ProtoNet, PSINet., RADLINX, RimNet Corporation, Swift Global Net, Telogy Networks, Inc., UniTerra Telecommunications, Inc., Universal Interactive Systems, USA Global Link, UUNET Technologies, Inc., ViaDSP, Vienna Systems Corporation, Voice & Data Systems (Voice Data), World-Link Communications, Inc., Xpedite Systems, Inc., ABS Talkx, Inc., AIFP, Alcom Corporation, Ansel Communications, Applied Voice Technology (AVT), ArelNet, Ltd., Array Telecom, Inc., Artisoft, Inc, The Automatic Answer, Avistar Systems, Banksoft Canada, Ltd., BICOM, Inc, Biscom, The Bristol Group, Ltd., Calculus, Inc, Canon USA, Inc., Castelle, Inc., CE Software (4-Sight), Cheyenne, Clarent Corporation, Clarity Software, Inc., Cobalt Technologies, Inc., Commetrex Corporation, Comtrol Corporation, Concentric Network Corporation, The CTI Authority, CyberFlyer Technologies, DAX Systems, Inc., DAZEL Corporation, Digi International, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), eFusion, Equant Network Services, EVERGREEN SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, FaxBack, Incorporated, Faximum Software, Inc, Fax International, GmbH, Fenestrae, Inc, Global Village Communication, Inc, Infinite Technologies, Innosoft International, Inc, Instant Information, Inc, Interfax, Interstar Technologies, Incorporated, Inter-Tel, Incorporated, Keller Group, Inc., Lane Telecommunications, Inc, LANshark Systems, Inc., LANSource Technologies, Inc, Lincoln & Co., MediaWays, GmbH, Microsoft Corporation., Mitek Systems, Inc., Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., NetCentric Corporation, NetManage, Inc, NetSpeak Corporation, NetXchange Communications, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc., Omtool Corporation., Open Port Technology, Inc., Optus Software, The Phone Company, Pika Technologies, Inc., Pitney Bowes, Inc./World Headquarters., Quadrant Software, Rhetorex, Inc., RightFax, SCH Technologies, SoftLinx, Inc., Soft Tek, Stalker Software, Inc., Stanford Software, Symantec Corporation, T4 Systems, Inc, TAC Systems, Inc., TechLine Communications, TeleMagic, Inc., TeleVideo Conversions, Inc., TGI Technologies, Tobit Software, TopCall Corporation, Trio Information Systems, Inc, TRS Technologies, Vidicode, Vivitek, VocalTec, V-Systems, Inc, Wilco Communications, Inc, and Wordcraft Systems, Inc.
Frost & Sullivan is an international marketing consulting company that monitors the telecommunications industry for market trends, market measurements, and strategies. This ongoing research is utilized to update a series of research publications such as #5637-60 World Internet Telephony Product Markets and to support industry participants with customized consulting needs.
Report: 5279-61 Publication Date: November 1997 Price: $2450
SOURCE: Frost & Sullivan
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