The network went live on 17 April, after Swisscom’s secured a commercial 5G licence. As all the component parts were already in place, the network just had to be switched on once the licence had been obtained.
The commercial 5G network, and related 5G services, are now available in 54 cities and communities in Switzerland, including the major population areas: Zürich, Bern, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Lucerne. Swisscom has previously stated its aim to have close to 90 per cent nationwide population 5G coverage by the end of this year. It will employ Ericsson’s spectrum sharing software, which dynamically shares spectrum between 4G and 5G carriers based on traffic demand, to rapidly deliver this level of 5G coverage using 5G-ready 4G radios.
Urs Schaeppi, Swisscom’s CEO said: “With the launch of the first commercial 5G network in Switzerland, we are laying the foundation for diverse, new applications and business models. 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.”
Arun Bansal, president and head of Europe and Latin America at Ericsson, said: “This is a momentous occasion for Swisscom and Europe – 5G is now commercially live. 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.”
