‘5G for the People’ to Boost FWA Connectivity in Switzerland

Swiss telco Sunrise has erected the country’s first 5G antenna, claiming that it will deliver “5G for the people” and revolutionise connectivity in the country.

While 5G use cases will differ from country to country, Sunrise believes 5G’s greatest potential lies chiefly in providing fixed wireless broadband access, especially to customers in rural areas.

“Only six months after setting a world record under test laboratory conditions, we are putting the first Swiss 5G antenna into operation. 5G is the technology that will enable future applications like self-driving vehicles, the Internet of Things, networking infrastructures with devices and people, and real-time control of critical production processes, just as a few examples. Until these visions become reality, however, we believe 5G for the People offers the greatest potential and so we are concentrating all our efforts on using it to benefit customers. As 5G pioneers, we will demonstrate the benefits of high-bandwidth connections – up to 1 Gbit/s – for both business and private customers as early as 2020, even without a fibre optic connection,” said Olaf Swantee, CEO of Sunrise.

With a largely rural population and incredibly strict environmental legislation in place, fixed wireless access could well transform connectivity in Switzerland. – Total Telecom