Frost & Sullivan has released a report covering the World Session Border Controller Market. Prepared by Jon Arnold, program leader, VoIP Equipment at Frost, the report defines what Session Border Controllers (SBC) are, why they are important, and outlines a market forecast pegging the growth of the market at a rate of nearly 60% by 2008.

The report details a complex vendor landscape, and Frost expects the market to continue to evolve significantly over the next 2–3 years. Arnold profiles 12 SBC vendors, and has created a unique strategic matrix that plots the market positioning for 18 vendors based on their function set and markets served.

The market forecast, calls for strong short-term growth culminating in a leveling-off and eventual slight decline. According to Arnold, “…revenues will peak at $300 million in 2007, and decline slightly from there to $250 million. Expected 2004 revenues are $70 million.”

This report concludes with an assessment of the key issues and strategic implications facing SBC vendors. Frost & Sullivan believes that support for multiple approaches to SBC exists today, but as customer needs evolve, standalone vendors will have a difficult time servicing their customers growing and evolving needs, resulting in a market opportunity for equipment vendors focused in other areas, such as softswitching, media gateways, routers, and the like.

The 70-page-report is available for $3,250.