Swisscom speeds up mobile communications even more

Swisscom is the first mobile network provider in Switzerland to roll out LTE advanced. The new LTE technology has been undergoing tests in the Swisscom lab since February 2014. It has now been rolled out on the network side in Berne and Lausanne railway stations and from the beginning of July it will also be available in the cities of Berne and Biel/Bienne.
Berne, 16 June 2014

Smartphone and tablet users want access to their data and apps everywhere and at all times. Streaming services for video and music are particularly popular and now account for 65 per cent of the total data volume over Swisscom’s mobile network. As a result, the volume of data in the mobile network is practically doubling year on year.

Swisscom is constantly expanding its network to enable it to cope with this ever-increasing data volume and offer its customers high speeds for surfing the mobile Internet. Swisscom already offers 4G/LTE coverage to around 91% of the population, enabling maximum speeds in the coverage areas – under optimal conditions – of up to 150 Mbps. Actual speeds depend on the location, the number of users in the mobile cell and the user’s device.
Under optimal conditions the new LTE advanced technology will even allow speeds as high as 300 Mbps. The high speeds are achieved by interconnecting two 4G/LTE channels of 150 Mbps each. LTE advanced is currently available on the network side in Berne and Lausanne railway stations and, from the beginning of July, will also be available in heavily frequented locations in the cities of Berne and Biel/Bienne. The first devices that permit the use of the higher data transmission speeds will become available from autumn 2014.

Customers benefit from higher speeds

The mobile network is a shared medium, which means that customers share the capacity of a mobile radio cell. The new LTE advanced technology increases the capacity of such a cell. As a result, Swisscom customers will be able to make better use of the speed offered by their subscription. The higher capacities are particularly important in areas that see large numbers of people, such as railway stations and city centres. Following the mobile frequency switchover (announced by the Federal Office of Communications) in summer 2014, Swisscom will expand the mobile network to cope with the new transmission speed on an ongoing basis and plans to extend it to the cities of Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Lugano and Basel.

Swisscom invests hundreds of millions of francs every year in expanding the mobile network. In 2014 alone, Swisscom will have invested around CHF 1.75 billion in the overall infrastructure and hence in the future of Switzerland. Independent tests such as the annual test conducted by the magazine Connect confirm that Swisscom has the best mobile network.

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