Consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts that the telepresence industry will grow from £74 million in 2007 to £0.7 billion worldwide by 2013, an increase of about 850%. These numbers include revenue sales of telepresence products and services.
Senior Industry Analyst and Programme Manager of Conferencing & Collaboration—ICT Europe, Dominic Dodd says buyers find that despite the higher costs telepresence systems can quickly pay for themselves by cutting travel expenses and reducing executive ‘wear and tear’.
"While video conferencing is now widely regarded as just another communications technology," says Mr. Dodd, "the in-built service capability that defines and differentiates telepresence seems to be creating a new-found enthusiasm among key decision-makers in organisations both large and small."