Swisscom has reported that Q1 group revenue remained almost stable year-on-year at CHF 2,747 million, down 0.3 per cent, resulting in an increase of 0.6 per cent at constant exchange rates. In the Swiss core business, sales fell slightly by CHF 12 million to CHF 2.04 billion.

Revenue from telecoms services decreased overall by 1.2 per cent to CHF 1,348 million. In contrast, revenue from IT services with business customers increased slightly by 0.7 per cent to CHF 291 million. Business in Italy continued to develop positively. Fastweb reported year-on-year revenue growth of €28 million (+4.7 per cent).

Consolidated operating income before depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 2.4 per cent to CHF 1,164 million. At constant exchange rates, the result was an increase of 3 per cent. In the core Swiss market, EBITDA grew by 1.4 per cent, while that of Fastweb increased by 1.6 per cent (in €). Net income remained almost stable year-on-year at CHF 442 million (–1.1 per cent).

Swisscom continuously invests in the quality, coverage and performance of its network infrastructure and is consolidating its position at the cutting edge of technology. Group-wide capital expenditure increased by 4.4 per cent to CHF 545 million.

For the eighth time in a row, CHIP has rated Swisscom’s mobile network the best in Switzerland. To safeguard the high network quality and continue to offer customers a top mobile network, a rapid expansion is needed. By the end of March 2023, Swisscom covered more than 75 per cent of the Swiss population with 5G+.

Swisscom plans to increase fibre-optic coverage (FTTH) to around 55 per cent by the end of 2025, and to 70–80 per cent by 2030. In March 2023, Swisscom concluded an access agreement with Salt. This includes Layer 1 access to Swisscom’s fibre-optic network in the point-to-point architecture, on which Salt can offer and operate its own services.

“Customer satisfaction is high, and the numbers are good”, commented Swisscom CEO Christoph Aeschlimann. “I am particularly pleased that the CHIP test has rated our mobile network as the best in Switzerland for the eighth time in a row. The Federal Court’s leading ruling on 5G is also encouraging: this states that the current legal basis does not violate the precautionary principle and that the measurement of mobile phone radiation recommended by the federal government is appropriate. This sends out a clear signal to the authorities to approve building applications, but also to the population. Fastweb is successfully underway in Italy. With Walter Renna, we have been able to attract a strong leader as the new CEO of Fastweb as of 1 October 2023, who will continue to keep the company on a growth course.”