Swisscom and Salt form fibre-optic partnership

For more than ten years, Swisscom has been building “fibre-to-the-home” (FTTH) fibre-optic networks, in many places together with energy suppliers as part of fibre-optic cooperations based on the principle of open networks. Now Swisscom is continuing on its successful path of collaboration by entering into a fibre-optic partnership with Salt. Thanks to this partnership, investments are bundled together, existing network capacities are optimally exploited and the variety of services on offer is further expanded.

Swisscom is constantly modernising its network with the latest technologies, with the aim of providing top-quality digital services and thus securing Switzerland’s locational advantage. The foundations were laid in 2008 with the first FTTH projects in Swiss cities, and since then Swisscom has invested a total of around CHF 4.4 billion in various fibre-optic technologies. With the current Swisscom network strategy, FTTH coverage will be expanded to around 60% by the end of 2025.

Fibre-optic partnership with Salt – a confirmation of collaboration models

Through a long-term fibre-optic partnership as part of Swisscom’s Network Strategy 2025, Swisscom and Salt are confirming the successful collaboration model between industry players based on the principle of open networks. The collaboration is making an important contribution towards opening up Switzerland with state-of-the-art network technologies. Investments are bundled together and network capacities are optimally exploited. Society and the economy benefit from greater innovation and a wider variety of offers.

The fibre-optic partnership builds on an existing business relationship between the two companies: For several years, Salt has been using physical Layer 1 access to Swisscom optical fibres in the point-to-point architecture for its residential customer offerings. As part of the fibre-optic partnership, Salt is investing in a long-term right to use Swisscom’s fibre-optic connections and thus is participating in the high network investments and the associated business risks.

This means that the company now also has its own physical Layer 1 access in Swisscom’s FTTH fibre-optic networks in the point-to-multipoint architecture, which Swisscom has been building since 2020 and will be expanding by 2025, and on which Salt can offer and operate its own services. Swisscom continues to bear overall responsibility for network planning, network expansion and maintenance, and remains the owner of the infrastructure.

Open networks and access for competitors

Swisscom and Salt are free to work with other partners at any time. The fibre-optic partnership does not grant exclusivity to either party. Swisscom also offers every competitor non-discriminatory network access at attractive conditions – with the best available technology and performance. Therefore, providers without their own network also always have access to the maximum bandwidth available. Swisscom remains open to further collaborative projects – whether in the form of a fibre-optic partnership such as with Salt, FTTH cooperations at a local level or other forms of network access (wholesale).

Christoph Aeschlimann, CTIO of Swisscom, praises the move: “The fibre-optic partnership with Salt builds on a proven path that Swisscom has been following with collaborations and partnerships for over ten years. It proves that, regardless of the technology, solutions can be found enabling competitors to make optimal use of the Swisscom network. The bundling of investments ultimately benefits the whole of Switzerland, which is reflected in the excellent international broadband coverage.”