Study shows that we don’t need voice and text from carriers, let the carnage begin

In a study published by BGR today, it has been made clear that the slew of messaging and VOIP apps on the market are already making a dent into the paid services provided by carriers.

The study by mobile(SQUARED) shows that according to operators, messaging, voice and video apps will cause usage of its own services to drop between 11% and 20% over the next 5-10 years. Some operators see that number being closer to 31%-40%.

Even Steve Jobs wanted to build his own wireless carrier to bypass services provided by carriers. For example, iMessages completely bypasses text messaging. Will we just need data from carriers in the near future? Probably.

Since companies like Facebook are ramping up its free Messages platform, and Google Voice getting more and more integrated into our social experiences, carriers may have to look closely at its offerings to keep its customers happy, and more importantly paying.

The study was carried out for Mavenir, and its VP Shubh Agarwal had this to say about the findings:

The findings confirm what we have found in discussions with the mobile industry. This is one of the primary reasons the industry is currently moving towards an all-IP converged core network accelerated by the deployment of LTE technology. By allowing users to place high-definition voice and video calls, chat, share content, and discover new services as part of a globally connected framework, operators can retain and even grow their share of customer communication spend.

mobile(SQUARED) analytics Gavin Patterson shared his thoughts about the upcoming decline in need for carrier’s service:

The mobile landscape is changing as users embrace messaging of all kinds that enable them to seamlessly message a multitude of devices. This study confirms that lucrative messaging revenues are already impacted and operators are assessing ways to deliver core-network services in the all-IP environment. Rich Communication Ecosystem (RCE) applications are one example of how mobile operators can overcome the hurdles they face.

With apps like Skype, GroupMe, WhatsApp, and Kik replacing the need for voice calling and texting on the carrier’s dime, the operators are looking to dig in and build its own group messaging and VOIP services to embed into devices tied to your existing phone number.

Just recently, WhatsApp announced that its users now send over one billion messages a day. That’s got to hurt carriers, not just because they’re missing out on potential business, but because they simply can’t control it.

Some people believe that phone numbers are a thing of the past. Yesterday, I spoke with Enflick‘s Co-Founder Derek Ting, creator of popular messaging apps TextNow and PingChat. He thinks numbers are dead in the water:

Everyone has a smart phone, 5-10 years from now, we’re going to a numberless world.

Do you text and call more than using services like Skype, Facebook, GroupMe, and Kik? Tell us in the comments.