VoIP or voice-over-internet protocol is the ability to make calls using an internet connection. It’s nothing new — in fact, people have been using the internet to make calls since 1995. However, the VoIP of today is almost unrecognizable compared to those early efforts.
Today, businesses use VoIP to make video calls, hold international conferences, and even host live webinars. Some call centers run entirely on VoIP so that they can integrate call data directly with other business systems. Services are improving all the time, so let’s take a look at five exciting trends rocking the VoIP landscape in 2025.
Trend One: Mobile VoIP
You may only think of VoIP as something that requires you to make calls on your computer or using a traditional phone. However, mobile VoIP that utilizes cellular data for connections is becoming increasingly popular. Most video-calling services now offer a mobile app that can use either Wi-Fi or a cellular connection for both audio and video communication.
As mobile VoIP services improve, users can expect to see faster connections, lower latency, and crystal-clear call quality as standard.
Trend Two: 5G Services
Staying on the topic of cellular services, VoIP applications, and systems are now leveraging the newer 5G parts of the cellular network. The immediate impact of this is that it’s faster and easier to make calls and that those calls are less likely to drop or be distorted.
However, 5G is impacting VoIP in other ways. VoIP systems can now connect to a range of IoT (Internet of Things) devices, even when those devices are on the move and reliant on highly stable cellular connections. Healthcare is a prime example of a sector where this is applicable. A telehealth consultant can contact a patient while they’re both away from static Wi-Fi connections. With consent, the telehealth operator can access wearable devices and monitor a range of health metrics like heart rate or blood sugar levels. The data is integrated into the call and can be used to provide treatment advice or refer the patient for further tests or analysis.
Expect to see additional use cases for IoT devices as part of a wider communications system that works across both Wi-Fi and 5G connections.
Trend Three: More Robust VoIP Cybersecurity Protocols
VoIP is undoubtedly useful for increasing the ways businesses can communicate with employees, partners, and customers. However, there’s no getting away from the fact that any internet-connected service represents a method for cybercriminals to access a company’s network.
The more internet-connected devices you deploy — for example, smartphones, tablets, and even internet-connected printers — the larger the surface of your network becomes. And the easier it is for malicious actors to gain access.
One example of how VoIP can increase vulnerabilities can be seen in the 2023 attack on a voice and video conferencing app. Criminals used malware via a Trojan virus to gather data on an estimated 600,000 businesses. Of course, once alerted, many of those businesses simply stopped using that app or any related software. This shows how VoIP service providers have to ensure they’re providing a suitable level of cybersecurity or they’ll risk losing business permanently.
With that in mind, VoIP app vendors are increasingly utilizing enhanced data encryption that works when data is “at rest” as well as in transit. Expect to see companies being far more transparent about their security protocols as we move further into 2025 and beyond.
Trend Four: AI and Machine Learning
AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning are becoming integrated into so many areas of business, including communications. From automation to enhanced security, there are numerous potential applications for AI in VoIP.
For businesses with call centers, AI-powered analytics is a huge step forward. Integrating real-time and historical performance monitoring and forecasting can help ensure there are always enough people on the phones with the right skills. AI is being integrated into various business intelligence (BI) tools with predictive abilities that can examine current call volumes and reports from peak periods to help with scheduling and training. Natural language processing and generation (NLP/NLG) can pick out certain words and phrases from calls to understand the causes behind high call volumes. This type of technology could let a small business owner know that their website is down, for example, based on the content of complaint calls.
NLG and NLP are also useful in VoIP IVR systems. The ability to recognize certain words in a verbal query and route a call correctly saves time and enhances the customer experience. Businesses could see an increase in customer loyalty when deploying these technologies appropriately.
Trend Five: Unified Communications as a Service
Did you know that around 90% of businesses now prefer software as a service (SaaS) to buying a product outright? The ability to switch from vendor to vendor as needed and the benefits of flexible contracts and pricing are hard to beat. Communications providers are now adopting this business mode, offering comms packages that bring VoIP together with landline calls, cellular calls, and standard internet services. This type of package is called unified communications as a service, or UCaaS, for short. Other aspects may include business messaging services, like Slack, or video conferencing tools.
UCaaS may be appealing to many businesses because it removes the need to deal with multiple providers. When you can call the same person every day to deal with any telecoms issue, life becomes easier. Many UCaaS providers offer a single point of contact, depending on the type of contract the business has entered into.
Understanding VoIP trends can help you know what you should be looking out for when choosing a VoIP or unified communications provider. Here at Docutrend, we support businesses across Cherry Hill, New York, Totowa, Ft. Washington, Edison, and more local and wider areas to get the VoIP services they need. We’ll help you combine mobile, conventional phone lines, and VoIP connections like video conferencing into a single, easy-to-use system. Want to know more? Contact us via our online form or call your local branch using the numbers on our website.