Who are the end-users within telecommunication?

As the Internet becomes a more important part of people’s daily life, the need for wireless access to the Internet escalates dramatically. The end-users want easy, mobile access to the Internet and the fewer new wires the better. Similarly, the telephone and cable television companies want to generate as much traffic from companies, building complexes and individual households as possible in order to expand their broadband business. There is only one way to target the broadband mass market - install a wireless network. This is simply because it must be so easy for the Family World segment that ordinary housewives can do it themselves without generating expensive house calls and visits from telephone or cable TV operators.

Segments

There are basically three different end-user segments:

• 20% Just Talk

• 40% Family World

• 40% Business

Just Talk

The Just Talk segment simply wants to talk on an ordinary or cordless phone, without requiring access to the Internet. Their motive is simple communication with friends and family.

Family World

The Family World segment consists of all the family members and their individual communication needs. There is often more than one PC in the household, just as there is a TV set and multiple phones. The ideal communication product from the telephone or cable operator’s point of view is an integrated access point with XDSL/CATV and wireless access to the PC. As operators want to be prepared for the future, the technology in focus is 802.11a, which will soon be standard for the teleoperators. This is regarded as excessive by 90% of the end-users, as they currently have slow data transmission speed via PSTN or ISDN lines. DECT/DPRS, Bluetooth or 802.11b Wireless Local Area Network are more than enough to provide them with sufficient access to the Internet today.

Business

The Business segment covers a large spectrum of sub-segments that include home offices, telecommuters, companies, hot spots and collective building complexes. Generally, their need is one of mobility and accessibility for the individual employee - anywhere and anytime. In addition, the business segments want savings on subscriptions and new opportunities for doing business more efficiently.