Swiss telecommunications firm Sunrise said its 5G technology now covers 309 towns and cities across Switzerland.
The telco said that its current 5G coverage nearly doubles the coverage of its closest competitor. The carrier also highlighted that it is only counting cities and towns where at least 80% of the local population are covered with 5G.
Sunrise is currently only using spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band to provide 5G service in the country. For now, Sunrise said it isn’t expanding 5G in its other existing frequencies (700 MHz to 2600 MHz). Although this would help extend 5G coverage quickly, compatible devices are not currently readily available, and connection speeds do not differ significantly from advanced 4G service, the telco said.
“When it comes to 5G, Switzerland is far ahead of the rest of Europe. We’re proud to make our contribution by offering the largest 5G network. We focus on quality and aim to provide real, fast 5G through our continued rollout. Our customers appreciate this. We’ve received very positive feedback,” said Olaf Swantee, CEO of Sunrise.
Sunrise also announced the launch of a new service dubbed “5G Indoor Coverage as a Service”.
“A flawless 5G connection inside buildings is indispensable, especially for critical business applications like automating and monitoring production processes. To meet this need, Sunrise will provide ‘5G Indoor Coverage as a Service’, a solution based on installing LampSites on company premises, to its business customers as of today. By doing this, Sunrise will enable companies to build the foundation for tailored IoT solutions via networked sensors and machines,” Sunrise said in a release.
Currently, 23 Sunrise shops across the country have already installed LampSities, a Huawei multi-band 5G small cell, so that customers can experience 5G firsthand.
The telco also said that it aims to reach nationwide 5G coverage by the end of this year.
“Sunrise is continuing its plan to secure Switzerland’s leading digital infrastructure position within Europe with 5G, and is continually supplying new cities/towns with the technology. Sunrise wants to expand the 5G network to all regions as quickly as possible,” the carrier said. “To do this, Sunrise is maintaining a close, constructive dialog with the relevant authorities, and focusing on cantons and municipalities looking to benefit quickly from technological advances.”
Sunrise is deploying 5G in Switzerland with Huawei as its main technological partner. Huawei is providing to Sunrise its end-to-end 5G network, including radio access network, transport network and core network.
