Switzerland, located in the heart of Europe, has a diverse geographic landscape with a population of approximately 8.5 million, distributed across urban centres and rural regions. The Alps, a major geographical feature, cover about 60% of the country's total land area, posing challenges for infrastructure development and connectivity. Despite these geographical constraints, Switzerland has an advanced telecommunications sector, with near-universal broadband coverage due to a combination of fixed-line and wireless networks. Swisscom, the dominant telecom provider, has invested significantly in fibre-optic and 5G network expansion, ensuring robust connectivity even in remote alpine regions. Switzerland also has a mature technology sector, home to multinational corporations and startups specialising in areas like fintech, biotech, and cleantech. Renewable energy is an area of ongoing development, with the Swiss government committed to the Energy Strategy 2050, aiming to increase the share of energy produced from renewable sources.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 3 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Salt Mobile SA, often stylised as Salt., is a telecommunications provider based in Switzerland. The company has a focus on mobile telephony and fiber-optic land-line services. It was initially founded as the Swiss subsidiary of Orange S.A., a multinational telecommunications corporation. In 2012, Salt was sold to Apax Partners, a British investment company. The company continued to operate under the Orange brand until 2015. At this point, it was sold to NJJ Capital, an investment firm owned by Xavier Niel, and subsequently rebranded as Salt.
Salt operates in Liechtenstein under the 7acht brand.
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.
Swisscom AG is a leading telecommunications provider in Switzerland, with its headquarters located in Worblaufen near Bern. The company was first established in 1852 as the Swiss telegraph network, which was then combined with the postal service and telephone network in 1920 to form the Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT). In 1997, the Swiss telecommunications market was deregulated and Telecom PTT was spun off and rebranded as Swisscom, marking the start of its partial privatisation. The Swiss government currently owns 51 percent of Swisscom AG.