Niche applications driving video calling adoption

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Propelled by the “seeing is believing” phenomena video phone calling is continuing to increase in popularity and usage.  It’s growing adoption, however, is not being driven by traditional consumer calling (as one would think), but by niche applications.

A perfect example is recent news that VoIP, Video and IP Surveillance equipment manufacturer Grandstream Networks has teamed with NextIX Systems and Abot Tanaw to provide millions of Overseas Filipino Workers free video phone calling to their family living in the Philippines.

They’re doing it by deploying hundreds of Grandstream GXV3000’s located at six different malls in Philippines and a video call center in Hong Kong (with plans already set for sites in Philippines). Not exactly what you’d call traditional consumer video calling.

But these day’s it’s niche applications like this that are sprouting up everywhere you look.

Of course perennial front runners Polycom and Cisco are both shaping and growing the overall market, but even their video conferencing solutions often used in niche applications. Especially in the health care sector.

However it’s innovative video phone calling players like Skype and ooVoo that seem to be doing the most to foster new and exciting ways to use video conference technology. Introducing the technology to millions of new faces, in thousands of different ways.

Traditional consumer video phone calling services are not going to die, but video calling over an IP network is a flexible, portable, customizable application. As more standardization and interop happens within the idustry, it’s inevitable that even more niche applications for video phone calling will arise.