Bern (ots)

Swiss Fibre Net AG, present in the Swiss FTTH fibre optic market for over 10 years as a guarantor of infrastructure competition, will be active in the planning, construction, and operation of Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) fibre optic networks through its subsidiary Swiss FibreCo AG (SFC) and will simultaneously optimize its own organization.

According to figures from the end of 2023, Switzerland, with only 46% of households covered by FTTH, ranks in the last quarter of European countries. Reasons for this relatively low number include the WEKO procedure against Swisscom (500,000 connections built but blocked) and the good coverage of Switzerland with HFC cable networks. To improve the coverage rate with FTTH - the undisputed technology of the future - SFN already started conceptual work in 2022. This was done, in addition to expanding network partnerships with local energy suppliers, cable networks, and municipalities, to also enter the field of network planning, construction, and operation.

To this end, SFN is establishing a new subsidiary: Swiss FibreCo will be closely linked to SFN's activities so that SFN's wholesale customers, such as Sunrise, Salt, and others, can also market the households of the newly built networks of Swiss FibreCo in a non-discriminatory manner. SFN will remain the majority shareholder of SFC for the time being and will closely accompany the further development of the company.

SFC follows the principle of "the best infrastructure guarantees the best price". Local and regional cable network operators have excellent infrastructures that are well-suited for FTTH network construction. SFC also considers it important to collaborate in partnership with Swisscom: duplications and parallel construction are economically harmful and should be avoided wherever commercially possible and reasonable.

Strong partnerships are important for success

Initially, Swiss FibreCo will focus on regional partnerships with municipalities, antenna cooperatives, and energy suppliers. In the first phase, approximately 25,000 households will be equipped with FTTH connections, for example, through a strategic collaboration with an energy utility or in the municipality of Volketswil as well as in the municipality of Wiesendangen through the purchase of the cable network duct system and its reuse for the installation of an FTTH network, subject to approval by the municipal assembly or the cooperative assembly. As a construction partner in eastern Switzerland, SAK (St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG) will act, with SAK simultaneously becoming a minority shareholder of Swiss FibreCo. Other construction projects are continuously being examined.

Andreas Waber, CEO of Swiss Fibre Net AG, says: "With the start of Swiss FibreCo's activities, we want to make an active contribution to the faster expansion of FTTH fibre optic networks and thus to more competition and diversity of offerings in Switzerland. In our view, all available duct infrastructures, especially those of energy suppliers and local cable network operators, should be used for network construction. There is no need for solutions with extensive civil engineering: Switzerland has very well-developed infrastructures, let's use them intelligently."

Organizational adjustments at SFN

To optimally manage the further development of the company, Swiss Fibre Net AG has made some organizational adjustments as of 1 July 2024:

• Mr. Christian Schläpfer will become CEO of Swiss FibreCo AG
• Mr. Andreas Waber will become Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss FibreCo AG
• Messrs. Andreas Dürr and Hubert Frey will form the management team of Swiss Fibre Net AG together with Thomas Müller (COO) and Andreas Waber (CEO).

Swiss Fibre Net AG

Swiss Fibre Net AG is a joint venture of local energy suppliers and cable network operators in Switzerland. It connects the local fibre optic networks of its network partners to create a large-scale, homogeneous, and open "Swiss Fibre Net" and offers it to national telecommunications providers on a non-discriminatory basis. In this way, Swiss Fibre Net AG guarantees competition in the telecommunications market.

Portrait photos are available upon request: 
- Andreas Waber 
- Christian Schläpfer 
- Thomas Müller 
- Hubert Frey 
- Andreas Dürr

Contact for media inquiries:

Andreas Waber
CEO Swiss Fibre Net AG
andreas.waber@swissfibrenet.ch
+41 79 668 90 78