8 Provisions and contingent liabilities
Provisions
Provisions changed as follows in the first nine months of 2023:
In CHF million |
Dismantlement and restoration costs |
Regulatory and competition law proceedings |
Termination benefits |
Others |
Total |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at 1 January 2023 | 658 | 283 | 31 | 187 | 1,159 | |||||
| Additions to provisions | – | 14 | – | 38 | 52 | |||||
| Adjustments recognised under property, plant and equipment | 77 | – | – | – | 77 | |||||
| Interest and present-value adjustments | 10 | (2) | – | – | 8 | |||||
| Release of unused provisions | – | (20) | – | (10) | (30) | |||||
| Use of provisions | (19) | (18) | (9) | (20) | (66) | |||||
| Balance at 30 September 2023 | 726 | 257 | 22 | 195 | 1,200 | |||||
| Thereof current provisions | 1 | 44 | 19 | 66 | 130 | |||||
| Thereof non-current provisions | 725 | 213 | 3 | 129 | 1,070 |
In accordance with the Telecommunications Act, Swisscom provides access services (incl. interconnection) to other telecommunications service providers in Switzerland. In previous years, several telecommunications service providers demanded ComCom reduce the prices charged to them by Swisscom for regulated network access services. The Competition Commission (COMCO) has also launched various investigations against Swisscom in the past.
In the past, Swisscom recognised provisions for regulatory and antitrust proceedings on the basis of legal assessments. As a result of the reassessment of these proceedings, provisions of CHF 10 million were set up in the first half of 2023 and provisions of CHF 20 million were reversed. Any payments to be made will depend on the date on which legally binding decrees and decisions are issued, and could probably occur within five years.
Contingent liabilities for regulatory and competition law proceedings
With regard to the contingent liabilities reported in the 2022 consolidated financial statements in connection with regulatory and antitrust proceedings, Swisscom is of the opinion that an outflow of resources is unlikely and, as before, has therefore not recognised any provisions for this in the consolidated financial statements as at 30 September 2023.