The new 5G network is being expanded in many countries. As the leading provider in Switzerland, Swisscom wants to enable its customers to use the new, fast mobile network abroad, too. So it has signed the first roaming agreements for this purpose. Customers of SK Telecom (South Korea), Elisa (Finland) and Swisscom are the first to benefit from 5G roaming.
Swisscom customers with a 5G-enabled mobile phone can now access the new 5G data network in Finland from tomorrow and in South Korea before the end of July. Both countries are pioneers in the expansion of the latest generation of mobile communications: South Korea is the world leader in 5G expansion with over 62,000 antennas and approximately 1.64 million active 5G users. Finland leads the field in Europe together with Switzerland. “We want to offer our customers the best network – both in Switzerland and abroad. So we are proud to be one of the world’s first providers to offer 5G abroad. We will continue to expand 5G availability abroad with additional partners,” says Dirk Wierzbitzki, Head of Product and Marketing and member of the Swisscom Group Executive Board.
A lot of customers communicate abroad without paying roaming charges: With an inOne mobile go subscription, customers can use their smartphones in EU countries in the same way as they do in Switzerland without incurring any additional costs. Thanks to the agreement with Elisa, this now includes 5G roaming in Finland.
Swisscom has been one of the world’s leading roaming providers for years. Swisscom customers can currently surf, make phone calls and send text messages on more than 630 partner networks around the world. Swisscom will add further 5G partner networks in other countries for 5G roaming in the coming weeks.
5G has been live in Switzerland since April 2019, and Swisscom plans to expand coverage to 90% of the population by the end of the year. This underlines the market leader’s technological leadership and pioneering role in Switzerland. Swisscom launched its “5G for Switzerland” programme in 2016 to develop new applications for 5G and in collaboration with its partners has already presented future-proof applications such as a digitised factory. Swisscom currently offers three different 5G devices in its shops.
Swisscom, Switzerland’s leading telecoms company and one of its leading IT companies, is headquartered in Ittigen, close to Berne. Outside Switzerland, Swisscom is present in Italy with Fastweb. In the first three months of 2019, some 20,000 employees generated CHF 2,860 million in revenue. Swisscom is one of Switzerland’s most sustainable and innovative companies. In Switzerland, Swisscom offers residential customers broadband services, digital television, mobile telephony and comprehensive services. The B2B segment offers network, cloud and ICT services.
Elisa is a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services. We serve approximately 2.8 million consumer, corporate and public administration organisation customers, and have over 6.2 million subscriptions in our extensive network. Cooperation with Vodafone and Telenor, among others, enables globally competitive services. Our core markets are Finland and Estonia, and we also provide digital services for international markets. Elisa’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. In 2018, our revenue was EUR 1.83 billion euros, and we employed 4,800 people. As a responsible Finnish market leader, our operations are guided by continuous improvement.
Further information on www.elisa.com(opens in new tab), Facebook (@elisasuomi) and Twitter (@ElisaOyj)
SK Telecom is the largest mobile operator in Korea with nearly 50 percent of the market share. As the pioneer of all generations of mobile networks, the company commercialized the fifth generation (5G) network on 1 December 2018 and announced the first 5G smartphone subscribers on 3 April 2019. With its world’s best 5G, SK Telecom is set to realize the age of hyper-innovation by transforming the way its customers work, live and play. Building on its strength in mobile services, the company is also creating added value in diverse ICT-related markets including media, security and commerce.
For more information, please contact: skt_press@sk.com or sktelecom@bm.com.
