Wireline services to decline at 3.2% a year

Revenue from traditional wireline services will continue a steady decline over the next few years in the US, and carriers will have to promote other services to make up the difference, according to In-Stat. US wireline voice service revenue will drop an average of 3.2% per year from 2003-2008, the high-tech market research firm forecasts. Business expenditures will decline for wireline voice and data access/transport services due to adoption of Voice over IP and migration to lower-cost data services. Internet access services, both consumer and business, however, remain an area of growth. Providers of business services are going to have to start to think in a more consultative manner. Successfully selling in this environment requires a greater understanding of a customer's LAN, and a time commitment to seamlessly integrate the LAN and WAN together.