Swisscom is a big telecommunications company in Switzerland. It helps people connect through phones, internet, and TV. Its main office is in Worblaufen, near Bern. The Swiss government owns more than half of Swisscom, about 51%.

Swisscom is a leader in Switzerland. It provides mobile phone services to 56% of users. It also offers broadband internet to 50% of homes and TV services to 37% of viewers. In Italy, Swisscom owns a company called Fastweb. Fastweb serves many private and business customers with internet and mobile services there.

The story of Swiss communication started in 1852 with the first telegraph network. Then, in 1877, telephones arrived. In 1920, these networks joined with the postal service to form PTT. In 1997, the Swiss communication market became more open. PTT's telecom part became Swisscom and was partly sold to private investors. Swisscom owns the special brand name NATEL for mobile phones in Switzerland.

In 2001, a part of Swisscom's mobile business was sold to Vodafone. Later, in 2007, Swisscom bought a big part of Fastweb, a major telecom company in Italy.

Swisscom's Journey Through Time
How Swisscom Works
- Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd
- Fastweb S.p.A.
Swisscom Brands
Competition
- Network Quality
Images for kids
See also

Swisscom's Journey Through Time

Early Connections (1852–1911)

Switzerland started its journey into modern communication in 1851. The government decided to build a telegraph network across the country. They even set up a special workshop to build the equipment.

In July 1852, the first telegraph line opened between St. Gallen and Zürich. By the end of that year, most big cities were connected. In 1855, they even laid the first underwater cable. Night telegraph service also began in some cities.

While telegraph use grew, the telephone soon became even more popular.

Telephones arrived in Switzerland in 1877. The first test lines connected the post office to the Federal Palace. Soon after, a line linked Bern and Thun. The government quickly made telephone services a monopoly, meaning they were the only provider. By 1880, the first private telephone network was set up in Zürich.

Other cities like Basel, Bern, and Geneva started their own local networks. In 1883, the first line connecting two cities, Zürich and Winterthur, was made. In 1890, Telephone numbers were introduced. Before that, you had to ask for people by name!

Public phone booths were tested in 1904. At first, they were only for local calls. But by 1907, you could make national calls from them.

Growing Networks (1912–1965)

The first automatic telephone exchanges were installed in private networks in 1912. This meant calls could connect without a human operator.

In 1920, the Swiss government created the Swiss PTT. This combined the country's postal services with the telegraph and telephone systems. It was all managed by the government.

PTT started telex services in 1934. Telex allowed sending typed messages over a network. By 1936, major Swiss cities were connected and could even link to international telex services.

Space Age Communication (1966–1981)

The original Telstar, the first telecommunications satellite to be launched into space.

In 1962, Telstar, the first telecommunications satellite, was launched into space. This was a huge step for global communication. In 1974, Switzerland opened its own satellite station in Leuk, in the canton of Valais.

PTT made local calls easier in 1963 by introducing pulse-metering. In 1966, they started automatic international dialing. By 1982, this service was available everywhere in Switzerland.

In 1970, PTT worked with other groups to plan a new digital telecommunications network.

In 1976, the company started offering facsimile transmission services from its customer centers. This allowed sending copies of documents over phone lines. Two years later, PTT launched its first mobile phone network, called NATEL.

By 1980, people could send faxes from their homes and offices. The telecom part of PTT became known as Swiss Telecom PTT.

Becoming a Public Company (1997-Present)

In 1997, the Swiss government changed the rules to open up the Swiss telecommunications market. As a result, Telecom PTT became a special public company called Swisscom on October 1, 1997. Its shares were then listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange in 1998.

In 1999, Swisscom bought Debitel, a large mobile service provider in Germany.

In 2001, Swisscom sold 25% of its mobile business, Swisscom Mobile, to Vodafone. Vodafone was a big investor in new 3G (third-generation) mobile phone technology. Swisscom also got a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems) license in 2000, which is important for mobile data.

In the early 2000s, Swisscom also began offering DSL (digital subscriber line) broadband internet. By 2003, 200,000 customers had signed up.

In 2002, Swisscom Eurospot was created. It provided high-speed internet to hotels in Europe. This company later became Swisscom Hospitality Services.

Swisscom has been partly private since 1998. The Swiss Confederation (the government) still owns 51% of the company. A law limits how much of the company can be owned by others.

In 2007, Swisscom bought back the 25% stake in Swisscom Mobile from Vodafone. They then combined their mobile, fixed network, and other services into a new company called Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd. Also in 2007, Swisscom bought a majority share in Fastweb, a big Italian telecom company. This deal cost about 6.9 billion Swiss Francs.

Swisscom changed its look and logo on December 14, 2007. Its old sub-brands like Swisscom Fixnet and Swisscom Mobile were replaced by the single Swisscom brand.

In June 2015, Swisscom Hospitality Services became part of a new company called Hoist Group.

On April 17, 2019, Swisscom started rolling out its 5G network. This is the newest and fastest mobile network technology. It now offers 5G service in many cities and regions across Switzerland.

In June 2019, Swisscom, SK Telecom, and Elisa launched the world's first 5G roaming service. This means Swisscom customers with 5G phones could use 5G networks in Finland and South Korea. By July 2019, Swisscom had over 6 million mobile customers.

On June 1, 2022, Christoph Aeschlimann became the new CEO of Swisscom.

On March 15, 2024, Swisscom announced plans to buy all of Vodafone Italia for €8 billion. The goal was to combine it with Fastweb. This deal was completed on December 31, 2024, creating Fastweb + Vodafone. As part of the agreement, Vodafone will still provide some services to Fastweb and allow them to use its brand for up to five years.

On April 3, 2024, Fastweb also started offering electricity services in Italy.

A survey in July 2024 showed that most Swiss voters do not want the government to sell its majority share in Swisscom. About 67% were against selling the government's stake.

In September 2024, the Antitrust Authority started an investigation. However, the European Commission approved Swisscom's purchase of Vodafone Italia. Italian authorities also approved the deal in November and December 2024.

How Swisscom Works

Swisscom has different parts that focus on various customers and services. These include Residential Customers, Business Customers & Wholesale, and IT, Network & Infrastructure. It also has a Digital Business part and companies like Fastweb in Italy.

Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd

Since 2008, all of Swisscom's main activities in Switzerland are handled by Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd. This company manages services for homes and businesses. It also takes care of the IT systems and the mobile and fixed-line networks.

Services for Homes

This part of Swisscom offers mobile and home phone services. It also provides IPTV digital TV, called blue TV, and fast internet access (DSL). Since 2020, Swisscom has combined its entertainment services under the "blue" brand.

Services for Businesses

This part helps businesses with their communication and technology needs. They offer solutions for cloud services, outsourcing, and IoT (connecting devices). They also provide mobile and network solutions, help with office networking, and offer security services. Swisscom also has a Digital Business unit that helps small and medium-sized businesses with digital services. Swisscom Wholesale provides services to other telecom companies in Switzerland.

IT, Network & Infrastructure

This team builds, runs, and maintains Swisscom's large fixed-line and mobile communication networks. They also manage the computer systems that support these networks.

Fastweb S.p.A.

Fastweb S.p.A. is a big telecom company in Italy. It offers phone, internet, and TV services to homes and businesses. Swisscom bought most of Fastweb in 2007.

Telecommunication Tower in St. Chrischona is the most important in north-west of Switzerland

Swisscom Brands

In Switzerland, Swisscom uses its main brand for most products. It also has other brands for lower-cost services, like Wingo. It works with other companies like Coop and Migros for mobile services (Coop Mobile, M-Budget Mobile). Other brands like cablex and localsearch are also part of Swisscom. Outside Switzerland, Swisscom is mainly known through its Fastweb brand in Italy.

Competition

In Switzerland, Swisscom's main competitors are Sunrise and Salt. In Italy, its main competitors are Telecom Italia (TIM), Vodafone Italy, and Wind Tre.

Network Quality

In 2021, the magazine "Connect" rated Swisscom as having the best mobile network in Switzerland.

Images for kids

Bluewin tower in Zürich

Swisscom facts for kids

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