Swisscom, a leading telecom operator in Switzerland, will switch off its 3G mobile network by the end of 2025.
Swisscom introduced the 3G in Switzerland in 2004. Today, only 1.1 percent of mobile data traffic still runs on the 3G network, but the technology occupies around 10 percent of the antenna capacity (ONIR). Due to the legal conditions in place, the ONIR capacity is limited so Swisscom must use it as efficiently as possible.
“We are developing our network for our customers and will therefore switch off the 3G network at the end of 2025,” says Christoph Aeschlimann, Swisscom CTIO. “The 3G shutdown will allow us to further improve our network, as we will use the freed-up frequencies for 4G and 5G.”
The switch-off at the end of 2025 will affect customers with 3G-only handsets, 4G devices that are not VoLTE-enabled and business customers with 3G solutions and 3G-based IoT applications. Swisscom will give its customers warning so that they have enough time for the changeover.
Swisscom invests around CHF 1.6 to 1.7 billion annually in the expansion and maintenance of its ICT infrastructure.
