The video conferencing industry is set to boom as travel becomes increasingly complicated in the wake of this month's foiled terrorist plot, according to analysts.
Tighter airport security and higher travel costs have conspired to make travelling more hassle than its worth, and consequently the video conferencing equipment industry is set to benefit.
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In addition, conferencing gear is becoming better, cheaper and easier to use.
Analyst Andrew Davis of Wainhouse Research LLC commented: "You have terrorism and diseases like the bird flu and increasing energy costs.
"All these things are bad things, but they all have positive implications for video conferencing."
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LifeSize Communications CEO Craig Malloy expects the $700 million conferencing industry to boom following decades of sluggish expansion.
"Higher fuel prices start to shift the equation for businesses to do more video communications and less travel. Political factors and the hassle factor of travelling also are going to be growth drivers for video conferencing," he said.
Mr Davis says video conferencing equipment makers sold around 136,000 group systems worldwide in 2005 and brought in $692 million in revenue, the American Statesman reported.