Video calling will remain a minority interest, say researchers

Gloomy forecasts were made this week by industry watchers at Juniper Research for the future of video calling. The company believes that, despite the hype surrounding Apple's FaceTime, video calls will be a minority interest even five years from now.

Analysts with the firm estimate that less than one in 10 smartphone owners, 29 million users worldwide, will be making mobile video calls by 2015.

"The use of video calling has had several false dawns and has remained flat in recent years," said Anthony Cox, Juniper senior analyst. "In the longer term the growth of WiFi and 3G in developing markets may make video calling an attractive option for international calls for those working and living away from their families."

Cox also believes the continued lack of interoperability between different devices may hold back the market. Article