As the internet becomes ever more important to firms around the country, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can bring huge benefits.

Tan Aksoy of IP telephony firm Telappliant said that all companies, no matter what size, can benefit from VoIP, and that the increasing take-up of broadband is likely to make the service yet more popular.

As SME IT services increase, VoIP provides a solution that is cost-effective.

"All businesses, whether you're a one-man band to a thousand-[strong] organisation, can benefit from VoIP," Mr Aksoy said.

"On the lower end, for instance, you can opt for a hosted platform where you're paying a monthly charge for using a virtual telephone system.

"Even with VoIP equipment, people often perceive that VoIP is going to be expensive and their return investment is going take years. But in fact, a typical business can make their return investment in as little as six months."

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, broadband connections made up almost 70 per cent of all internet connections in March last year.

"VoIP is really dependent on high-speed internet connections, so with the increase in broadband speed now and the lower cost of a teleport leased line, you're going to see the take up increasing," Mr Aksoy concluded.

However, a recent Datamonitor survey indicated that UK businesses lag the US and mainland Europe when it comes to VoIP adoption.