In Hong Kong, international enterprises, banking and finance, and hospitality industries are leading the IPT deployment trend--because they need rich communication applications to increase productivity and enhance collaboration, according to Yue Vivian Li, associate analyst, telecommunications, IDC Australia.

She added that most international firms with branch offices in Hong Kong roll out IPT to help form a consistent organization-wide global communications network. Li also pointed to mobility as a driving factor for IPT deployment as mobile employees in Hong Kong have realized the benefits of cheaper telephone bills and increased productivity while traveling.

Migration mania

Timothy Mak, country director for Avaya Hong Kong and Taiwan, cited Citibank and JP Morgan as two major banks in the process of deploying company-wide IPT systems. "We're seeing a lot of migration projects-IPT is no longer just for new offices and greenfield site developments."

The more widespread adoption of IPT today is because it's easier to build a strong business case for the technology. Many firms in the past struggled to justify migrating to a new network and communications system just for cheaper long distance phone calls and the promise of lower network management costs. IP equipment and handsets were also quite expensive in past years, so as a direct comparison of system costs, it was invariably cheaper to stay with a traditional TDM-based voice system.