VoIP can reduce company costs

Investing in voice over internet protocol (VoIP) could help businesses save money in the long term, it has been claimed.

Peter Gradwell, founder and managing director of internet solutions provider Gradwell, said the global economic downturn has helped telecommunications firms as VoIP is one of the technologies that can help firms decrease their outgoings.

He added that he expected to see improvements in the technology and how it is serviced in the near future, saying: "You can make the technology better so you can upgrade the network and make it faster and more reliable.

"That's the problem that people have. They can cope with the fact that their service will be interrupted, it's just a question of how it will be handled."

Earlier this month, the Communications Management Association warned that comparatively slow broadband speeds are threatening business efficiency and claimed that third of UK businesses believe they currently do not receive satisfactory access to internet technology.