Swisscom, together with its partner Ericsson, is the first provider in Europe to successfully transfer data at 1 Gbps over the mobile broadband network. In doing so, it is taking a major step towards the introduction of even higher mobile Internet speeds.
The new capabilities meet customer requirements as the volume of data that is transferred over Swisscom’s mobile broadband network each year continues to double. Customers expect a fast and reliable network throughout Switzerland for their everyday business and personal life. This transfer rate of 1 Gbps will relieve the pressure on Swisscom’s existing mobile broadband networks for the foreseeable future. The commercial launch of the new technology is planned for early 2017. Devices that support this technology will most likely be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona.
Experts at Swisscom have tested the transfer rate of 1 Gbps live over the mobile broadband network. “At the beginning of this week, we were able to celebrate a first for Europe by achieving a transfer rate of 1 Gbps, thanks to our close collaboration with Ericsson. This success shows me that Swisscom is on the right path for innovation,” stated Heinz Herren, CTO and CIO at Swisscom, highlighting the significance of the technical innovation.
This accomplishment once again underscores Swisscom’s pioneering role in mobile telecommunications. The partnership between Swisscom and Ericsson has continued to evolve from the traditional roles of purchaser and supplier. The two companies pool their expertise to ensure that customers in Switzerland have access to the mobile broadband network. Martin Bürki, CEO of Ericsson Switzerland, explains: “Swisscom is one of the most innovative mobile providers worldwide. With Europe’s very first LTE Advanced transfer of 1 Gbps live over Swisscom’s mobile broadband network, we are highlighting the innovative strength of our close and effective collaboration.”
Swisscom’s mobile broadband network reaches over 98% of the population with 4G/LTE and more than 99% with 3G. Furthermore, Swisscom has already rolled out LTE Advanced to more than 100 locations, with theoretical bandwidths of up to 300 Mbps. A few selected locations in buildings already allow for transfer rates of up to 450 Mbps.
Swisscom is constantly expanding its network and aims to provide its customers with the best and newest services at all times. Until the fifth generation of mobile technology (5G) is standardised and rolled out, Swisscom will continue to make its existing network faster and improve it with carrier aggregation, which combines multiple frequencies. The fourth generation of mobile technology will be upgraded. This will allow users to transfer data at 1 Gbps down and 150 Mbps up.