Although Independent telcos that have deployed voice over IP are in the minority today, that won't be true much longer. Within three years, three-quarters of Independent telcos will have deployed VoIP, according to a recent network evolution survey conducted by Penton Research on behalf of NXTcomm and Telephony.

The survey of Independent telcos, conducted in early 2008, shows that 31% of respondents plan to deploy VoIP within three years, on top of the 43% that already have deployed it. Only 15% of respondents said they have no plans to deploy VoIP.

But because VoIP is less expensive to deploy than some other new services, Independent telcos' projected spending on VoIP for 2008 is less than what the telcos expect to spend on costlier technologies such as fiber to the premises (FTTP), advanced video services based on IP and broadband wireless. On average, Independent telcos surveyed expect to spend nearly $2.5 million on FTTP, which topped the list of planned expenditures. Forty percent of Independent telcos surveyed have deployed FTTP, and another 18% plan to deploy the technology within three years.

Despite telecom industry buzz about IP multimedia subsystem, most Independent telcos have little interest in the technology, the survey showed. Only 8% have deployed the technology — and 42% said they have no plans to deploy it.

Survey respondents included a wide range of Independent telcos — from companies with as few as one to four employees, up to and including companies with 10,000 employees or more. Read more results in a white paper posted at telephonyonline.com.