Videoconferencing and Telepresence equipment market up 5 pc

BOSTON, USA: Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its 4th quarter (4Q13) and year-end Enterprise Telepresence and Video Conferencing Equipment report, which tracks dedicated and PBX-based videoconferencing and telepresence infrastructure and endpoints.

"Demand for video capabilities is at an all-time high, but businesses' willingness to spend isn't, causing a shift from high-end telepresence suites and multipurpose room systems to lower-cost software and videophones for personal videoconferencing," said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics Research.

"This, along with lower selling prices due to competition, is hampering a more robust recovery in the videoconferencing market."

Telepresence and Videoconferencing Market Highlights

* Following a flat 2012, the global enterprise telepresence and videoconferencing market returned to growth in 2013, up 5 per cent year-over-year, to $3.2 billion

* Videophones are the fastest growing segment of the hardware endpoint market: Shipments doubled again in 2013, easily passing the 1-million-unit mark

* Sales of immersive telepresence systems have fallen sharply since 2011, but appear to have reached a bottom in 2013 and even grew slightly in the second half of the year (2H13)

* Asia Pacific and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) were the key growth regions in 2013, both up 8 per cent, while North America was down 2 per cent

* Infonetics forecasts worldwide enterprise videoconferencing and telepresence revenue to grow at a 3 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2013 to 2018