Sunrise Communications, a leading provider in the Swiss telecommunications market, has announced that it is providing more than 262 towns/cities across Switzerland with 5G.
Olaf Swantee, CEO of Sunrise, commented on the announcement and said that at the start of April, Sunrise launched its 5G network for selected customers. The development made the company the first 5G provider in Switzerland and Europe. Since then, it has successfully extended its lead. He said that the Sunrise 5G network is the biggest in the country and sets a benchmark in terms of coverage quality.
Swantee continued by saying that private and business customers want good and fast 5G coverage. It is because of this that the telcom provider will be offering 5G coverage in all of its Sunrise Shops by the end of the year. In addition, Swantee revealed it will also be launching a dedicated solution for companies, allowing them to benefit from 5G as soon as possible to aid their digitisation.
Sunrise is continuing to implement its plan of securing Switzerland’s leading position within Europe in terms of its digital infrastructures through 5G coverage. As of the end of August 2019, Sunrise is already providing more than 262 towns/cities all across Switzerland with 5G, over twice as many as the provider in second place. To further advance the 5G expansion, the first phase will largely entail extending 5G coverage at existing antenna locations.
With its 5G expansion efforts, Sunrise aims to provide a top speed of up to 2 Gbit/s and high coverage quality everywhere. That is why the list of locations only includes the 262 cities and towns in which at least 80% of the local population have 5G coverage. Gradually, 5G coverage will extend to far more than these 262 towns/cities, including parts of major cities such as Zurich.
Many cities with coverage are located outside of urban areas. With ‘5G for People’, Sunrise is setting up fast Internet with ‘fibre optics through the air’, so that households and companies can still benefit from speeds of up to 2 Gbit/s without a fibre optic connection.
5G coverage in Sunrise Shops and for companies
With so-called ‘LampSites’, Sunrise is ensuring powerful 5G coverage inside buildings. Currently, eight Sunrise Shops in (Spreitenbach, Aargau / Freiestrasse, Basle / Rue de l’Ale, Lausanne / Balexert, Geneva / Flagshipstore Bahnhofstrasse, Airport, Glattzentrum, Zurich / Ambassador House, Opfikon) already have this type of 5G connection. Interested parties can experience 5G first-hand and with the newest devices in these shops.
5G is a key technology in the digitisation process. That is why companies in particular want to benefit from its advantages as quickly as possible. Especially when it comes to business-critical applications such as automation and monitoring production processes – a flawless 5G connection inside buildings is indispensable. For this reason, Sunrise will be providing a dedicated solution over the course of the year with ‘5G Indoor Coverage as a Service’. This will entail the use of LampSites on company premises.
Wide range of 5G devices
Since the start of April, selected Sunrise 5G pioneers are benefiting from a high-speed Internet connection through the air, either at home or in the office, with the Sunrise Internet Box 5G. PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones are easily connected to the Sunrise Internet Box 5G via Wi-Fi. With 5G, customers can generally enjoy an Internet connection that is between 10 and 20 times faster than with their previous (DSL) landline connection.
In more than 262 towns and cities, customers can also take advantage of the new mobile network generation with the latest 5G smartphones, with improvements such as faster surfing, quicker response times of apps, video streaming, or online gaming. As another first in Switzerland and Europe, Sunrise will be launching the HTC 5G Hub, which offers superfast 5G connections with up to 2 Gbit/s in trains, cafes and more, and can be used as a 5G router for up to 20 devices. With these offers, Sunrise is providing the biggest selection of 5G devices in Switzerland.
Switzerland-wide coverage by the end of the year
Sunrise is continually providing more towns/cities with 5G and wants to expand the 5G network as quickly as possible in all regions. That’s why Sunrise is in close contact and maintaining a constructive dialog with all authorising bodies. Within the framework of the 5G extension, Sunrise is focusing on cantons and municipalities looking to benefit from technological advances quickly. Cantons that have used delaying tactics by implementing moratoria and strict procedural requirements must expect up to 30% slower progress compared to the other cantons.
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