Sunrise is a telecommunications company operating in Switzerland. The company was established in 2001 following the merger of diAx and the original Sunrise Communications. Liberty Global, a multinational telecommunications company with headquarters in London, Amsterdam, and Denver, was formed in 2005 through the merger of Liberty Media International, Inc. (LMI) and UnitedGlobalCom, Inc. (UGC). On November 11, 2020, Sunrise Communications became a subsidiary of Liberty Global, marking the inception of Sunrise Liberty Global in the Swiss telecommunications market.

Alias
Sunrise Communications Group AG
Country
Switzerland
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Ownership
Liberty Global
Sunrise Switzerland logo

3G Network

The company began providing 3G UMTS services in December 2006 using the B1 (2100 MHz) band. 3G data services were upgraded to HSPA+ in 2011 and DC-HSPA+ in late 2012. Sunrise added a B8 (900 MHz) carrier in 2012 to improve coverage and indoor network penetration.

The closure of Sunrise's 3G network would occur on 31/12/2024. 

Network Frequency Band Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
Shutting Down
B8 (900 MHz)
Shutting Down
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

Sunrise launched 4G LTE services in June 2013 over the B3 (1800 MHz) and B7 (2600 MHz) bands and adding B20 (800 MHz) shortly after. LTE-A 2C carrier aggregation was implemented to boost peak data rates to 300 Mbps.

In February 2019 Sunrise was awarded spectrum in the 700 MHz band, consisting of 5 MHz suitable for B28 (700 MHz) and 10 MHz of SDL spectrum for a B67 (700 MHz) service. The acquisition of 1500 MHz spectrum allowed Sunrise to activate a B75 (1500 MHz) SDL carrier. The company is working to implement multi-carrier aggregation to boost LTE performance to 900 Mbps.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
B3 (1800 MHz)
20
Active
B7 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
B20 (800 MHz)
10
Active
B28 (700 MHz)
5
Active
B67 (700 MHz SDL)
10
Active
B75 (1500 MHz SDL)
15
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

Sunrise has worked with its 5G technology partner Huawei extensively since 2017 on the development of its 5G network. In December 2017 the two demonstrated 5G data rates of 3.28 Gbps over its 3.5 GHz test network, a world record at the time.

After securing 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band in February 2019, the company launched its first 5G services in March 2019, providing fixed wireless (FWA) 5G over n78 (3500 MHz). Sunrise employs n75 (1500 MHz) and n80 (1800 MHz) supplemental bands to provide further network capacity. By October 2019 the company had achieved coverage of over 300 towns and cities and well over 80% of the population.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n78 (3500 MHz)
100
Active
n28 (700 MHz)
5
Active
n75 (1500 MHz SDL)
15
Active
n80 (1800 MHz SUL)
20
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 5G Network
Launch