Skip to content
News Releases
September 3, 2024
"Markus Reber said that Swisscom has always been customer-centric and committed to providing customers with the best network. It will achieve growth through continuous innovation and provide better digital products and services, and AI will be an important factor in achieving this vision."
Markus
Markus Reber
Executive Vice President of Networks at Swisscom

Swisscom visits Shanghai for high-level exchange of visits with China Telecom

Picture1
Following the visit of Li Zhengmao, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Broadband Association (WBBA), and his delegation to Swisscom in Bern on April 17 and the meeting with Markus Reber, Executive Vice President of Network, Swisscom's Chief Technology and Information Officer Mark Düsener visited China Telecom in Shanghai on August 22.

The two sides shared their respective strategic plans and business innovation results, and jointly discussed the future development trends in the fields of cloud broadband upgrades and AI applications. Participating in the meeting were Mark Düsener, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Swisscom, Markus Reber, Executive Vice President of Network, Marco Leuthold, Executive Vice President of IT and Cloud; Liu Zhiyong, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Telecom and Rotating Chairman of the WBBA Executive Committee, Chen Jingxiang, Deputy General Manager of the Science and Technology Innovation Department, Shen Junxiang, Deputy General Manager of the Cloud Network Development Department, Jia Yan, Deputy General Manager of the Cloud Network Operation Department, Chen Kai, Deputy General Manager of the International Company, Li Yongxiang, Assistant to the Dean of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, and Zhang Jianping and Liao Jiang, Deputy Chief Engineers of the Chief Engineer's Office of Shanghai Company.

Mark Düsener introduced Swisscom's market performance in broadband networks, mobile communications and innovative businesses (such as Blue TV and Blue Internet), the group's development strategy, and future vision and goals. He said that Swisscom will promote network evolution in a green way by reducing emissions and balancing costs and benefits. Gradually phase out copper cable networks and promote the adoption of more fiber optic technologies. It is planned to achieve 57% fiber coverage and 90% 5G+ coverage by 2025, and to achieve fiber optic network coverage in all Swiss cities by 2030. Customer trust in Swisscom is the foundation and advantage of the company's operations. The company will provide customized services to customers based on its trust advantage. In the field of AI, Swisscom provides comprehensive AI services to reduce corporate operating costs, improve customer satisfaction, and achieve revenue growth.

Markus Reber said that Swisscom has always been customer-centric and committed to providing customers with the best network. It will achieve growth through continuous innovation and provide better digital products and services, and AI will be an important factor in achieving this vision.

Liu Zhiyong introduced the basic situation and development achievements of China Telecom, and shared the layout of new strategic industries including cloud and computing power, artificial intelligence, large model applications, quantum, new generation information communication and digital platforms. He pointed out that the company implemented a technological transformation strategy, with steady growth in operating performance and continued improvement in high-quality development. It continued to strengthen technological innovation, optimize the RDO innovation system, and accelerate the development of new quality productivity. China Telecom promotes the "Network + Cloud + AI" strategy, grasps the development direction of artificial intelligence, builds a new generation of digital information infrastructure, and carries out AI+ actions in depth to enable internal digital transformation and upgrading and external business models and product innovation. In addition, the meeting also introduced the Shanghai Lingang Data Center and the capabilities and construction of the new information infrastructure-"Smart Cloud Shanghai".

All parties attending the meeting agreed that high-level visits between WBBA members should be strengthened, deeper cooperation should be carried out in scientific and technological innovation pilots and specific application scenarios, and collaborative exchanges in cutting-edge fields such as green development, cloud and AI applications should be continuously promoted. Liu Zhiyong congratulated Swisscom on its appointment as the next rotating chairman of the WBBA Executive Committee and hoped that Swisscom would play a greater role in WBBA.

 

To join our  thriving community click here 

Sign Up to Receive News Updates

Key Messages
Key Messages
Recommendations
Recommendations
The Importance of Greater Broadband Investment​
Download White Paper

Key Messages

Advanced cloud technology together with superior end-to-end connectivity can enable a wider and more sophisticated range of applications that can in turn drive greater innovation, efficiency, and wealth.
Both enterprises and broader industry ecosystems are actively looking at broadband’s role in enabling their digital transformation. Most respondents to the WBBA’s Thought Leadership Enterprise Survey stated that they need faster and more reliable internet to run their business applications.
Certainly, in the short to medium term, xDSL, cable modem, fixed-wireless access (FWA), and satellite are all expected to have a role in the delivery of broadband services. However, full-fiber access will always deliver the optimum experience and remains the most sustainable and cost-efficient option.
There is a danger therefore for governments to base their cost-benefit analysis on a national economic view. However, such analysis will miss all the social benefits, as well as the more local economic benefits, that advanced broadband networks can bring. Governments must take all benefits into account, including more localized ones, when creating national broadband policies.
However, future applications will not only need ultra-high-speed services but also ultra-low latency and jitter, with high levels of reliability and consistency if they are to function properly. Countries with networks that are not capable of meeting such criteria will be left behind as the world moves to the next phase of internet applications such as the “metaverse.”
Fiber networks are significantly more environmentally friendly than equivalent copper-based networks, and can help support other green initiatives such as greater working from home, the use of advanced videoconferencing, etc. Fiber-based networks also require less maintenance due to there being less active equipment in the field, and can therefore reduce operators’ operational costs.
With rollout of new access technologies like 5G and Fiber, IPv6 reached more than 30% penetration worldwide (APNIC) and is rapidly growing. IPv6 Enhanced technologies, including segment routing over IPv6, per flow monitoring and AI, enable a multitude of objects and people to be flexibly connected to the proper services, granting end-to-end quality of experience.
Based on the responses from the WBBA Thought Leadership Survey, respondents believed, on average, this coverage could be expanded to approximately 70% through private investment. It is clear that government support will be needed to get to 100%.
However, a lack of data on the available infrastructure, access to key infrastructure such as ducts and in-building networks, and a lack of understanding both internally and externally are also key barriers to further investment.
Respondents to the WBBA survey stated that a reduction in regulatory barriers, greater flexibility in partnership arrangements, copper switch-off regulations, and setting out minimum service standards for network installations, would all take priority over financial support.

Recommendations

All countries must look to maximize the potential of broadband. This means creating long-term national broadband plans that evolve around three basic phases of broadband adoption:

  • Phase 1: Fast deployment of basic connectivity (most likely focusing on wireless technologies)
  • Phase 2: Continued rollout of fixed-broadband access to 100% of premises
  • Phase 3: Continued investment in advanced broadband technologies to move to gigabit societies and beyond.

In order to help facilitate this evolution to advanced broadband networks, government organizations and regulators must consider:

  • Implementing regulatory flexibility, including the removal of outdated or non-essential regulation
  • Introducing flexibility in partnership arrangements; for example, allowing agreements between players, such as co-financing, collaborative models, public-private partnerships, etc.
  • Facilitating deployment through municipality approvals, using existing resources (government buildings, streetlights, ducts, etc.) and sharing infrastructure and facilities, including in-building networks. This should also include other types of utility infrastructure where possible
  • Providing financial assistance through investment support, incentives, and subsidies; e.g., universal service funds
  • Improving access to telecom facilities and physical infrastructure; improving procedures for rights of way and accessing public infrastructure, as well as broadband mapping.
Making the Recommendations a Reality

Operators, enterprises, vendors, regulators, and policy-makers should seek to create a collective voice, to evangelize, advocate, co-create, and partner in the drive toward the provision of ultra-broadband networks and services for all. Organizations such as the WBBA can help by influencing key stakeholders through discussion, education, and promotion. Specifically, the WBBA should aim to:

  • Set out the importance of greater broadband investment, not just for the good of the service provider but for countries as a whole
  • Promote regulatory, legislative, public relations agendas that help advance the interests of members through WBBA publications and live events, highlighting best-practice business models from around the world to remove any “lack of understanding at boardroom level”
  • Influence through research, discussion, and promotion of new potential marketing or naming concepts for fixed broadband to ease mass-market understanding of the different generations of broadband access – hiding technical jargon such as “Mbps,” “latency,” and “jitter” from the customer
  • Through thought leadership, media activity, and live events, continue to make the case for what governments need to recognize and do to close the industry innovation, socioeconomic, and environmental benefit gaps through infrastructure investment
  • Explore through new research the challenges and opportunities arising from changes in the industry structure, addressing its impact on the business and the standardization landscape. This includes aspects of fiber wholesale, the move toward horizontal industry structure with separation of infrastructure and services, and the change of customer relationship to digital
  • Work with stakeholder partners to understand and promote the potential of future applications that will bring new benefits to broadband customers and wider society
  • Develop in-depth thought-leadership research on the new revenue opportunities advanced networks can provide to service providers in both the consumer and enterprise markets
  • Develop and highlight best-practice investment models that show the true return on investment of a full-fiber rollout to both private companies and government organizations
  • Champion the needs of its members to highlight barriers to future investment, creating a platform to enable open discussion between different types of stakeholder to encourage greater cooperation and new partnerships.

Membership Enquiries

[gravityform id="3" title="false"]

Testing New Form