Sales believes that the country's overall telecommunications network is still "in transition" within the next three years. Because of this, he suspects that current VOIP rates remain high but can remain competitive when service providers finish this transition period.

"What was finished by our two leading networks in the Philippines is the backbone," he said, noting this caters initially to companies such as call centers that rely on VOIP.

Service providers, however, have started bundling VOIP with fixed-line services. Some Internet service providers have likewise rolled out VOIP services, targeting both home users and small companies.

Dr. William Torres, president of the Philippine Internet Service Organization (PISO), said recently that VOIP will largely benefit SMBs not only because it allows cheaper calls but it is also a very easy technology to adopt.