HO2 figures that the market for unified messaging could reach between $2 billion and $5 billion within the next three years.

"That prediction may be a little aggressive," says Hongjun Li, director of research at Parks Associates, a market research firm in Dallas. "But it's definitely a growing, emerging market."

There are two basic markets for unified messaging, Li says.

The first is the consumer market. About 40% of all US households — roughly 41 million — are connected to the Internet.

"Most of those households have more than one user," Li says. "And the most popular feature on the Internet, by far, is e-mail. The question is, will these consumers want or need a single device to pull together all of their messages."

The second market is the business market, especially home-based companies and telecommuting employees. More than 43% of all U.S. households include someone who is working out of the home, according to Parks Associates' research. That's a market of 43 million households for anyone offering a product or service to small businesses, including unified messaging.

From an article by Rusty Cawley.

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