Sunrise to launch 5G in Switzerland this March

Swiss mobile operator Sunrise has announced plans to roll out 5G connectivity to 150 cities and villages by the end of March.

The move will make Sunrise the first operator to introduce 5G in Switzerland and will establish the country as one of the first in the world to adopt the new technology, alongside the likes of the US, China, Japan and South Korea.

Sunrise’s initial rollout phase will focus on areas that are not covered by fibre optics networks, and will including cities like Dietikon, Bülach and Opfikon.

From mid-March around 100 selected residential and business customers will be able to use ‘5G for People’ – high-bandwidth mobile internet with speeds of up to 1 Gbps accessed via a Sunrise Internet Box 5G.

Later this year Sunrise said that it will launch high-bandwidth internet, its best TV offer, and a phone package over 5G in non-urban areas.

The company claims that only about 30% of homes and small or medium-sized businesses in Switzerland can currently get a fibre connection, with 70% in suburban or rural areas relying on hybrid solutions or slower DSL connections.

“With 5G, we want to close the digital divide between urban and rural areas, which is particularly important for business customers and SMEs based outside city centres. 5G will propel them into the digital age,” said Sunrise CEO, Olaf Swantee, in a statement.