Traditionally, organisations keep network- and data communication separate. Voice over IP enables the integration of both these services in a data network, which in turn allows audio and data to be transmitted using the same physical medium. This merger opens up a totally new market, where new vendors within the audio and data sector are competing against each other. The vendors from the data sector have a particular interest in finding new potential customers. In order to concentrate activities at potential target groups, the Swiss market for Voice over IP would need to be divided into segments.

The enclosed assignment shows how the Swiss market could be divided up. In a first step, the technical requirements for a Voice over IP are formulated and possible application areas illustrated. The entire Swiss market would be divided firstly on the size of the organisation and then by business sector. The resulting segments are then evaluated by commercial and organisational criteria. The evaluation indicates that the public authorities generally possess a primary requirement for Voice over IP. Within these segments the local authorities will be described in detail and it will be shown under which circumstances an implementation would be possible.

In a practical trial, the CISCO Wireless IP Phone 7920 was tested for its user suitability. The tests showed that telephoning with IP using a Wireless LAN could be productively introduced.