Join us on a journey through 20 years of peoplefone history.
How does the next generation communicate?
peoplefone invests in start-ups that are working on the future of communication. Artificial intelligence plays a key role in this and will soon be integrated into our current telephony solutions.
At the beginning of 2025, we launched peoplefone STUDIO, an AI-based tool for video presentations. With peoplefone HOLO, a future-proof project is in the pipeline that will make the virtual meeting room a reality.
Start-up spirit after 20 years!
We are proud that we have maintained the peoplefone start-up spirit over the years and have always remained true to our values.
We are personal and friendly, treat each other with respect, seek out employees who fit into our team, and focus exclusively on organic growth.
2025
Cybersecurity is a top priority at peoplefone.
Protecting telephone infrastructure from cyber attacks is becoming an increasingly important issue. With our technical infrastructure, state-of-the-art protection systems, anti-hacking algorithms and our redundant data centre structure, we have the right foundation to comply with the strict EU NIS2 guidelines in the area of cybersecurity.
Since 2021, our long-standing employee Nicolas Urech and his team have been leading the cybersecurity division.
peoplefone is a full-solution provider
Today's business customers expect more from a provider and appreciate it when all communication solutions are offered from a single source. peoplefone therefore became an internet provider in 2016, added a data SIM offering to its range in 2018, and will become a mobile phone provider in 2024.
Additional services are constantly expanding the range and making us a full-service provider.
peoplefone invests in young IT talent
peoplefone supports ETH Zurich in the fields of information technology and electrical engineering.
With the ‘Best BSc Thesis Award’ for students of D-ITET and its sponsorship of bachelor's degree programmes, peoplefone is helping to ensure that IT specialists continue to be trained in Switzerland in the future.
peoplefone has 100 employees!
In 2022, we are delighted to welcome our 100th employee. Of these, 35 colleagues work in our offices in Zurich and Lausanne.
It is important to us that we can rely on support staff at all our locations who are familiar with local conditions and speak the respective language.
Our V2 admin platform for partners goes online
On this platform, installation companies can quickly, easily and unbureaucratically commission new telephone lines and systems for their business customers.
The platform is now the benchmark in telephone communication. It is operated, maintained and further developed by a team of eight developers.
peoplefone opens location in India
The steady expansion of peoplefone requires ongoing growth of the development team. In 2020, we decided to establish a development hub in India to offset the increasingly difficult recruitment of IT specialists in Europe.
Our team in Pune, India, now consists of ten employees.
10,000 companies rely on peoplefone!
Our focus on SMEs, cooperation with installation partners, the shutdown of the ISDN network by 2017 and the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 have led to steady growth in business customers.
In 2020, we welcomed our 10,000th business customer in Switzerland, and today we are close to reaching 20,000 business customers.
Opening of the third peoplefone data centre
peoplefone has two data centres in Switzerland and one data centre in Germany for German business customers.
These data centres enable us to offer redundant systems with the highest cybersecurity standards. Since our foundation, our Swiss customers' data has been stored exclusively in Switzerland.
Telephony integration with Microsoft TEAMS
In 2017, peoplefone recognised that telephony and video calls belong together. In 2018, we were one of the first providers to enable telephony integration with Microsoft TEAMS. The first type of integration, Direct Routing, will be supplemented with Microsoft TEAMS Operator Connect in 2022.
Today, integration with TEAMS is one of peoplefone's most important pillars.
Relocation of offices in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland
peoplefone is growing, and our offices are bursting at the seams. Before we moved into larger premises in Zurich-Wollishofen in 2016, our offices were located on General-Guisan-Quai, Alfred-Escher-Strasse and Sternenstrasse in Zurich.
In western Switzerland, we also moved from Lausanne to Mont-sur-Lausanne and Vevey, finally settling in Puidoux.
Start of partnership with 3CX
We entered into a partnership with 3CX at an early stage and are now one of the most important sales partners with the highest partner status. With peoplefone 3CX HOSTED, we also offer a 3CX solution hosted in Switzerland.
Every month, 3CX systems are installed for several dozen companies via peoplefone.
First victory in the annual BILANZ telecom rating
Six victories and a total of 11 podium places are achieved in the business telephony sector in the following years. In 2024, the first victory in the mobile telephony sector for SMEs follows.
In 2016, peoplefone is also honoured with the award for best European VoIP provider.
Our first proprietary cloud PBX, peoplefone HOSTED, is here
peoplefone HOSTED is developed in-house by our peoplefone VoIP engineers as a user-friendly and cost-effective cloud PBX.
Today, peoplefone HOSTED is a widely used telephone system for SMEs and remains a cornerstone of our product portfolio. It is constantly being developed and new features are being added.
peoplefone refocuses on business customers
VoIP is increasingly being used by companies. peoplefone is venturing a change in strategy and, starting in 2011, will focus on corporate customers in sales via installation partners (B2B2B). We are focusing in particular on SMEs.
In Switzerland alone, almost 20,000 companies now use peoplefone for their telephone communications.
We launch the first Swiss VoIP app
This product is a real breakthrough in our history. The app is first released for iOS and then for Android a year later. It generates huge media coverage for peoplefone and makes peoplefone known throughout Switzerland.
Today, the app is used by thousands of companies every day.
peoplefone relies on installation partners
peoplefone signed its first cooperation agreement with an installation partner shortly after it was founded. Today, our sales model is entirely geared towards cooperation with installation partners. This cooperation is one of the key building blocks of peoplefone's success.
In 2021, we will welcome our 1000th installation partner in Switzerland.
peoplefone goes Europe!
One year after our founding, we opened our location in Austria. Additional branches were added continuously: Poland (2007), Slovakia (2008), Lithuania (2012), Germany (2015) and France (2019).
In addition to these locations, we now have provider licences in five other European countries. This enables us to provide optimal service to internationally active customers.
Laurent Schweizer is peoplefone's first employee
Laurent is not only our first employee, but also the initiator of our core technology. Today, as CTO, he is responsible for the technical development of our products.
We now have a team of long-standing employees in technology, support, sales and administration.
peoplefone opens offices in Zurich and Lausanne
Since its foundation, peoplefone has attached great importance to establishing a local presence in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.
The two offices have always enabled us to maintain close and personal contact with partners and customers with employees from both language regions.
Our first product is a USB VoIP phone.
The USB phone can be connected to any computer. With this product, we want to convince private individuals of the benefits of VoIP starting in 2005.
Christophe Beaud personally conducts the first sales campaigns with a stand in Media Markt stores. This is how peoplefone was able to win its first private customers at the time.
Christophe Beaud founds peoplefone
peoplefone is one of the first companies to bring the new VoIP technology to Switzerland. Friends advise our CEO against founding the company, as they do not believe that VoIP can be used to run a business.
In the years that follow, Christophe and his wife Danette prove that their friends were wrong.
