Switzerland Communications - 2024

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 2,918,500 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 10,450,200 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2022 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Switzerland has one of the highest broadband penetration rates within Europe, with a focus on services of at least 1Gb/s; this has been supported by sympathetic regulatory measures as well as by cooperative agreements between the main telcos, and with local utilities; fast fiber is complemented by 5G services reaching about 97% of the population by early 2021; together, these networks will soon enable the telcos to provide ultra-fast broadband services nationally, ahead of most other countries in the region; the competitive mobile market is served by three network operators and a small number of MVNOs; 5G services offered by the MNOs offer data rates of up to 2Gb/s, and although various cantons have called a halt to extensions of 5G, citing health concerns, the regulator and environment ministry have put in place measures aimed at ensuring that network roll outs can continue without disruption; with the migration of subscribers to LTE and 5G networks, the MNOs have been able to begin closing down their GSM networks and repurpose physical assets and spectrum; although not a member of the EU, the country’s economic integration has meant that its telecom market deregulation has followed the EU’s liberalization framework, including the recent regulations on international voice roaming; this report presents an analysis of Switzerland’s fixed-line telecom market, including an assessment of network infrastructure (2021)

domestic: fixed-line is 33 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscribership is 120 per 100 persons (2022)

international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)

Broadcast media

the publicly owned radio and TV broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG/SSR), operates 8 national TV networks, 3 broadcasting in German, 3 in French, and 2 in Italian; private commercial TV stations broadcast regionally and locally; TV broadcasts from stations in Germany, Italy, and France are widely available via multi-channel cable and satellite TV services; SRG/SSR operates 17 radio stations that, along with private broadcasters, provide national to local coverage )

(2019)

Internet country code

.ch

Internet users

total: 8.352 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 4,028,238 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)