The news follows Swisscom’s securing a commercial 5G licence, and as all the other components were already in place, the partners only had to switch on the network. As a result of the collaboration, 5G services are bow available in 54 cities and communities in Switzerland including major hubs like Zürich, Bern, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Lucerne.
"This is a momentous occasion for Swisscom and Europe – 5G is now commercially live,” said Arun Bansal, president and head of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson. “As we continue our close ties with Swisscom, we are also strengthening the 5G ecosystem by reducing the time-to-market for chipset and device makers. We ensure multivendor operability with 5G devices and networks, enabling more 5G devices to come to the market so consumers can enjoy the benefits of 5G services."
Swisscom subscribers with commercial 5G smartphones and routers in covered areas will benefit from the high-speed, low latency and enhanced mobile broadband features of 5G services across infotainment, gaming, virtual reality and immersive media experiences. It also creates opportunities in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0.
"With the launch of the first commercial 5G network in Switzerland, we are laying the foundation for diverse, new applications and business models,” added Urs Schaeppi, CEO, Swisscom. “This will not only be great for Switzerland but also inspiring for the people who will now be part of the digital world whether they are living in the city, countryside, or in the mountains."
The news also aligns itself with Swisscom’s goal to have it 5G network operational across Switzerland by the end of 2019 with close to 90% nationwide population coverage. This will be achieved using Ericsson Spectrum Sharing software that dynamically shares spectrum between 4G and 5G carriers based on traffic demand.
