The level of demand for mobile TV in Western Europe is still unclear, but according to a new IDC Insight it is clear that moves are being made to ensure there is a dedicated pipeline to serve this market, as 3G is limited in terms of capacity and the need for multicast technologies is far greater.

Industry comment & analysis by Kieron James, chairman, FCS Numbering Group

Comms think tank, MZA Consultants, reports a strong start for Q1 2006 in the PBX and IP PBX markets, with global volumes rising by 4% compared to the same period in 2005, as the number of extensions shipped worldwide registered at 15,851,000 extensions.

Call centre business in the UK is set to rise significantly, while market forecasts for Customer Interaction Centres are also optimistic, with greater uptake of email response services, web-based interactivity in real time, as well as telephone services.

Analysis provided by MZA Consultants

Q1 2006 proved to be a promising start to the year in the UK. The PBX/IP PBX extensions market increased by 9% compared to Q1 2005 with good performances across the size spectrum.

Enterprise telephony line shipments in EMEA increased by 6.3% in Q4 2005 compared to the same quarter in 2004.

In total, over 21 million CPE lines were shipped last year, up 4.0% over 2004 volumes, according to the latest Canalys market estimates.

Growth in line shipments, however, slowed from the annual rate of 7.1% recorded in 2004.