Swisscom launches 1-Gbps broadband services

Swisscom’s residential customers have joined the elite group of consumers around the world that can browse the Internet at the ultra-fast speed of 1 Gbps. Following a trial in September, the Swiss incumbent has moved to a full product launch (see “Swisscom FTTx plans include 1-Gbps services”).

The 1-Gbps rate is available as an option with the Vivo Casa 5* package for CHF 100 per month. Another new option bookable with Vivo Casa 5* is 300 Mbps for CHF 20 per month.

It appears these prices are in addition to the CH 149 Swisscom already charges for Vivo Casa 5*. Subscribers to this package who don’t sign up for the new tiers will still see a boost in download speeds, however. Effective immediately, Swisscom says, Vivo Casa 5* customers will receive an automatic data rate upgrade to speeds of up to 100 Mbps, compared with the previous maximum speed of 50 Mbps.

Swisscom says it is the first service provider in Switzerland to offer its customers browsing speeds of 1 Gbps. The operator already has 650,000 customers equipped with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), who can take advantage of the option to browse the Internet at gigabit speeds.

Swisscom has also developed a new Internet box to support the new 1-Gbps speeds. As well as being able to support top speeds, the box ensures a user-friendly and secure Internet experience. Features include an interactive display, an extra WLAN access available at the touch of a button for guests, and a child protection feature so that browsing times can be fixed. The new Internet box is available free of charge to all Vivo Casa 5* customers who want to take advantage of the new speed options.

The national carrier says that by the end of this year it will have invested CHF 1.75 billion in infrastructure expansion to keep pace with rising broadband bandwidth demand. The operator is deploying a mix of technologies to enable virtually nationwide broadband coverage and aims to make ultra broadband available to over 2.3 million households and businesses by 2015.

For more information on FTTx/access systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.