Network expansion and dismantling
Bandwidth requirements in the Swiss fixed and mobile telephone networks are growing all the time. We therefore invest around CHF 1.6 billion in IT and infrastructure in Switzerland every year in order to maintain our high level of service provision. This is the highest investment of any provider in Switzerland. By doing this, we make a substantial contribution to one of the best IT and telecoms infrastructures worldwide. In the EU Commission’s annual study “Broadband Coverage in Europe”, Switzerland ranked second behind the densely populated island state of Malta in the 2019 reporting year for high bandwidth connections exceeding 100 Mbps.
Good mobile and fixed network coverage is key to a successful Switzerland. In the most recent international comparison of broadband coverage, Switzerland was outstanding. Almost every Swiss person already benefits from ultra-fast broadband networks.
Switzerland’s coverage is excellent compared with that of other European countries. In terms of high bandwidth connections exceeding 100 Mbps, Switzerland ranks among the top countries with coverage of just under 99% of all homes (EU average: 68.4%). Switzerland is therefore clearly exceeding the objectives of the EU’s “Digital Agenda for Europe 2020”.
For fibre-optic coverage (FTTP) too, with 40.9% of households connected, Switzerland is above the EU average of 33.5%. Its better coverage of rural areas, by European comparison, is striking: according to the study “Broadband Coverage in Europe 2019”, around 94% of rural Switzerland can surf with bandwidths of at least 30 Mbps. This is considerably more than in the EU. Less than 60% of rural areas in the EU even receive 30 Mbps. This leading position is a consequence of strong infrastructure competition and the resulting high level of investment in the Swiss broadband infrastructure.
We plan to modernise the fixed network in all Swiss municipalities by 2021, covering 90% of homes and offices throughout Switzerland with ultra-fast broadband (at least 80 Mbps). By 2025, fibre-optic coverage (FTTH) should nearly double compared with 2019. This means that 50 to 60% of all homes and offices will have a bandwidth of up to 10 Gbps in future. At the same time, we will continue to modernise the existing network in the coming years, giving 30 to 40% of homes and offices access to a bandwidth of 300 to 500 Mbps.