Interview with Adrian Bolliger
Carefree, flexible and mobile working – thanks to Enterprise Mobile
Swisscom increases the high-speed roaming data volume for all NATEL® go subscriptions. Adrian Bolliger, former Head of Mobile Business Solutions, explains the advantages of this and provides further details about the offering for enterprise customers.
Text: Martina Longo, Michael Lieberherr, Images: Unsplash and Swisscom, 25 February 2019
Adrian Bolliger
What significance does the mobile phone have today and, with this in mind, what do the subscription adjustments mean for today’s way of working?
Today, the mobile phone is a constant companion. Mobile applications are increasingly replacing the desktop computer or laptop. Work and activities that used to require a much larger infrastructure can now be completed in no time on the smartphone, regardless of time and place. It doesn’t matter whether I’m working from home in Zurich or editing documents at Tokyo airport.
As of 1 March 2019, customers with a NATEL® go roaming subscription will receive a significantly higher data allowance when abroad. Why is the subscription being adjusted?
In the past, use of mobile phones abroad was often limited due to roaming costs. Customers had to look for alternatives such as Wi-Fi. We are changing this with our offering and thus supporting our customers to become even more efficient without worrying about how many MB or GB they are consuming abroad. For our customers, it is a great relief - as many have told us. They now no longer have to worry about using their mobile phones.
We also negotiate tariffs with our roaming partners on an ongoing basis. As of 1 March 2019, we will be passing the benefits we achieve here on to our customers. Customers who already use NATEL® go don't have to do anything and will receive the additional allowance automatically. In neighbouring countries and also in Europe, they will receive a 40 GB data allowance from 1 March 2019.
What distinguishes NATEL® go roaming subscriptions from other service providers?
With the 40 GB data allowance, we have one of the most attractive offerings on the market within the EU. We are also one of the few providers to include international calls. One of the subscriptions allows customers to use their mobile phone freely within Europe. This is also an upgrade of Enterprise Mobile, where our customers can purchase additional services such as repair, device-as-a-service, but also fleet management solutions.
For example, we have many customers who live at the border or who are border crossers. Currently, these customers often tend to limit their mobile phone use or even switch off roaming. With our NATEL® go Neighbours tariff, which includes a 40 GB allowance, such customers can also use their device to the full at any time without worrying about whether the network will jump to a foreign provider at the border.
NATEL® go Roaming subscriptions are available in various forms. What is special about NATEL® go Global?
NATEL® go has been deliberately structured into different zones. We have one Swiss zone, one zone for neighbouring countries, one for Europe and one global zone. NATEL® go Global primarily addresses the needs of our globetrotting business customers. It includes countries such as the USA, China, India, Brazil and other countries. Customers on this tariff thus receive a whole 20 GB data allowance both within Europe and the entire global zone. We also consciously select very reliable and high-quality providers for the global zone. Anyone who travels abroad a lot knows that the quality of the networks varies greatly. With almost 700 partners, we have the most roaming agreements in the world. The reason we include 20 GB, and not 40 GB, is mainly because we have different price structures with roaming partners in the global zones.
Let’s take a look at the future: What will be the next big trend for mobile?
There are two big issues for us: the Internet of Things and 5G. Almost everyone now uses mobile phones, be it smartphones, notebooks or other devices. Now, more and more things are being networked to make companies more efficient or make their products and services smarter. New business models are emerging from this. Soon, there will be more ‘things’ networked than smartphones - we're talking about millions of devices. We are already doing this today with technologies such as LoRaWan, CAT-M1, NB-IoT etc. This trend is accelerated by the introduction of 5G. Anyone who thinks that 5G only gives us more speed is mistaken. 5G is one of the technologies that will accelerate digitisation, and we are at the forefront in this. Be it with network expansion or with products and services that will bring customers significant added value.
Adrian Bolliger
Adrian Bolliger was Head of Mobile Business Solutions and a member of the Executive Board of Swisscom Enterprise Customers until September 2019.
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