We provide open fibre access

Compendium Fibre Optic Technology

What does point-to-point FTTH mean?

In a point-to-point fibre optic network, the end-users benefit from their own fibres – unlike in point-to-multipoint system where they have to share the fibre connection with other parties. Swiss4net always builds point-to-point FTTH networks. This ensures equal and open access for all telecommunications providers.

What is an OTO box?

OTO box stands for Optical Telecommunications Outlet. It is the fibre optic outlet which is situated in the home/business. End customers plug their ISP's modem into one of the direct fibre connections and can surf the internet or watch TV with the best connection.

What is the OTO-ID?

The OTO ID is the number on the OTO box. It is the unique identification number of the fibre optic connection and makes it possible to order a product from a telecommunications provider. In all our operating companies, the OTO ID always starts with B.161.

What is a BEP/HAK?

BEP stands for "Building Entry Point", the house connection box "HAK" in the building. This is usually located in the basement and is responsible for distributing the optical fibres to the OTO box in the individual apartments/businesses.

About Us

Swiss4net Holding AG is a Swiss company that finances, builds and operates point-to-point Fibre To The Home (FTTH) fibre optic networks in cities and municipalities in Switzerland

Swiss4net is the partner for municipalities and cities as well as energy supply companies offering a long-term, risk-free all-round carefree package for the nationwide point-to-point FTTH fibre optic expansion. We currently operate the fibre optic network in Baden and Ennetbaden as well as the fibre optic network in Chiasso, Vacallo, Morbio Inferiore and Balerna. We are also currently building the FTTH networks in Ascona, Morges, Pully, Unter- and Obersiggenthal and Wettingen.

«The Swiss4net FTTH networks in Baden and Chiasso are our competitive advantage.»

Pascal Grieder, CEO SALT

«Swiss4net offers unconditional open access to its FTTH networks. That creates real competition, also to our benefit.»

André Krause, CEO Sunrise

«The Swiss4net fibre optic network brings a real competitive advantage. A further key advantage is that with Swiss4net we can pursue the same goals: customer focus and transparency.»

Markus Vetterli, CEO iWay

«The Swiss4net point-to-point fiber optic networks are the source of our competitive advantage as only with such great bandwidth can the might of our services truly be experienced.»

Fredy Künzler, CEO Init7

«In Swiss4net we see a strong partner which enables us to connect our customers very efficiently using their modern point-to-point FTTH fibre optic network. Thanks to this technology, we will always be able to offer the fastest and best Internet service for years to come.»

Karl H. Frankeser, Founder and CEO Ticinocom

«High-performance infrastructure becomes increasingly important in the competiton for the best location. The Swiss4net FTTH network makes a big contribution to increasing the attractiveness of Baden.»

Thomas Lütolf, Development Association Baden

«The Swiss4net FTTH network in Chiasso, Balerna, Vacallo, Morbio Inferiore signifcantly increased the attractiveness of the communities.»

Dr. Corrado Noseda, Director AGE SA

«The contractors hired by Swiss4net for network planning and execution adhered well to the procedures agreed with RWB. As duct owners we were always well informed about the progress of the construction.»

Adrian Fuchs, Board Regionalwerke AG Baden

Swiss4net is backed by Arcus Infrastructure Partners LLP, which has experience in this market segment, Swiss Life and a Swiss pension fund.

For the expansion of the Swiss FTTH fibre optic networks, we work exclusively with Swiss partners and establish our own local operating company as a public limited company in each municipality or city. These operating companies are wholly owned by Swiss4net Holding AG and are responsible for the planning, construction and operation of the local fibre networks.

Board of Directors

Christopher Ehrke (President)
Roger Heggli
Jack Colbourne

CEO

Roger Heggli

CTO

Roger P. Frey

Contact details

Swiss4net Holding AG
Untermüli 11
6302 Zug
+41 43 546 40 01
info[at]swiss4neth.ch

Our Offer

We build, operate and finance the most modern fibre optic networks in Switzerland - always as per the point-to-point model - always with comprehensive coverage

Part of our all-round carefree package is the setting up of a local operating company. This operating company takes care of the planning, the construction and the operation of the point-to-point FTTH fibre optic network. Upfront, we conduct the necessary studies to evaluate the cost and potential of a fibre optic rollout. We then bear the cost for the expansion. In return, we receive the rights of use of the infrastructure or the pipe systems from the municipalities/cities or energy supply companies for the agreed period of time. The rights of use are agreed for at least 30 years.

We are open to all communities, cities and energy supply companies and want to build and operate several hundred thousand connections in the next few years. In doing so, we consistently rely on the point-to-point system according to the OFCOM standard agreement, in which several fibres are pulled directly from the central office to the homes and business premises without being shared. This ensures maximum, constant bandwidths in upload and download and the highest availability at all times.

Advantages for municipalities/cities and utilities
The investments in the expansion projects are borne entirely by Swiss4net. We require neither bank loans nor subsidies. As a municipality, city or utility company, you do not incur any costs for the fibre optic network and you do not assume any financial risks. All you have to do is make your pipe systems available to us and assign the rights to use them for the agreed duration. In return, we compensate the municipality/city or utility company fairly for the use of their facilities.

We do not engage in cherry-picking when expanding our FTTH fibre optic networks. All properties within the municipalities/cities are covered. This means that all households and companies benefit from a connection. A municipality/city thus strengthens the attractiveness of its location.

By expanding an FTTH fibre optic network, the municipality or city, together with the energy supply companies, also lays the foundation for future innovations. For example, the glass fibres can be used for smart metering, video surveillance or smart city applications. Considering that within the framework of the Energy Strategy 2050, all energy supply companies are required to convert over 80% of the infrastructure to smart meters by 2027, this basis is not insignificant.

Advantages for the population of the communes/cities
In contrast to its competitors, Swiss4net consistently relies on the point-to-point model, which guarantees the best bandwidths and availability, as the end-users benefit from their own fibres. They do not have to share the fibre connection with other parties, which means that the performance of the network remains stable even during peak loads.

We do not act as a telecommunications provider ourselves, but provide all telecommunications providers with discrimination-free access to our network. This in turn increases the freedom of the population to choose their telecommunications provider and lowers prices due to fair competition for end customers

Point-to-point FTTH compared to other fibre models
Not all fibre networks are the same. With point-to-point FTTH fibre networks, the fibres are pulled directly into the residential or commercial unit. In contrast, other models such as FTTB, FTTS, FTTC continue to use copper or coaxial lines over the last mile and the connections are split into nodes.

A further distinction must be made between point-to-point and point-to-multipoint FTTH fibre networks. While end-users benefit from a dedicated fibre in a point-to-point FTTH fibre network, in a point-to-multipoint FTTH fibre network the fibre connection is shared by several parties. Only with a point-to-point FTTH fibre network can it be ensured that users receive the maximum bandwidth at all times. Due to the dedicated fibre, the data and failure safety is also much higher.

Pure fibre vs. mixed models
In FTTH networks, unlike other models (FTTB, FTTS, FTTC), the optical fibres are drawn right into the house or into the usage units (home/business). With the other fibre optic networks, the data is transported over the last mile through copper or coaxial lines as before. These reach a natural upper limit in terms of transmission rates. The signal strength is increasingly attenuated over these lines with increasing distance and line length, which leads to lower speeds. Consequently, customers do not benefit from the maximum available performance despite the fibre optic offer.

If, on the other hand, the fibre is pulled directly into the home or business, this attenuation is practically non-existent. This ensures the best availability. Information is transmitted by light via small, flexible glass strands. Data can be sent very quickly and reliably over long distances via a dedicated line. This also applies during high usage times in the entire FTTH network. Transmission by light instead of electricity over a dedicated line also means that it is more difficult to hack and the technology is immune to electrical interference. In times of rapidly increasing cyber threats, fibre is therefore also the better technology in terms of security. Another security aspect is the active components. With the exception of the FTTH fibre optic network, these are located in external shafts, which means that they are exposed to the daily weather.

   

Point-to-Point (P2P) vs. Point-to-Multipoint (P2MP) FTTH fibre networks
FTTH construction is currently being implemented in Switzerland using various technologies. The two better known ones are the point-to-point (P2P) model and the point-to-multipoint (P2MP) model, which is often mistakenly referred to as the single-fibre model.

The pure P2P model is open in terms of technology for future FTTH developments and individual requirements of the providers. Thanks to their own fibre-optic connections from the central office to the end customer, providers can select and implement their preferred technology themselves. Even the already popular XGS-PON (10 Gbps Symmetric Passive Optical Network) is offered to end customers without restrictions via the P2P network. At the same time, all end customers benefit from maximum internet speed (synchronous, in upload and download) as well as best availability and security for the paid service.

The P2MP model has no continuous fibre from the central office to the end customers. A P2MP network carries only one fibre on the first section from the central office to the duct (in the street or in the building) and from this distribution point onwards the fibre is divided among 32 end customers by means of splitters. Thus, in the P2MP model with its tree structure, only 1/32th of a fibre arrives at the end customer and there is no individual, continuous fibre between the central office and a home/shop. In addition, layer 1 access in P2MP is restricted for telecom providers. A P2MP model is also susceptible to interference in the connections, as an entire P2MP tree (all 32 customers of a provider) is always affected. The telecom providers of the individual end customers are dependent on the P2MP technology that the builder has chosen for the fibre roll-out and providers must build on this without having the freedom of choice themselves.

Compendium Fibre Optic Technology

The most important technical terms - briefly explained

Our Telecommunications Providers

Our point-to-point FTTH fibre optic network is open to all telecommunications providers on a non-discriminatory basis - giving the population the widest possible choice

At present, the following telecommunications providers use Swiss4net's point-to-point FTTH fibre networks. As soon as new telecommunications providers are connected, the list will be updated. End customers are free to choose their telecommunications provider and their preferred offer.

Our FTTH Fibre Optic Networks

From planning and construction to the operation of the local point-to-point FTTH networks, our subsidiaries take care of the day-to-day business on site

Would you like to know more about the point-to-point FTTH fibre networks that Swiss4net has already implemented or is currently building? Then visit the websites of our local operating companies:

Baden4net

Pully4net

 

Chiasso4net

Morges4net

Wettingen4net

Ascona4net

Siggenthal4net

Sustainability

Sustainability is key for us in the construction of our point-to-point fibre optic network as well as in our daily business

GRESB: International top marks for sustainability

Swiss4net and its shareholder attach great importance to sustainability and transparency. This is recognised by the market: in 2022, the company achieved a magnificent 94 out of 100 points in the GRESB sustainability benchmark, the leading international rating system for measuring the sustainability performance of real estate/infrastructure companies and funds. We are very proud of this top result.
The above-average performance in the analysed areas - environmental, social and governance - underlines the group's commitment to sustainability and transparency. This is very important for the investors Arcus Infrastructure, Swiss Life and a Swiss pension fund, our partners (communities/cities and electricity companies) and of course our customers. Swiss4net intends to build on this in the future.
Swiss4net not only exceeded expectations in the audited aspects of environment, social and governance, but also performed above average compared to the peer group (benchmark average) and to all GRESB audited companies (GRESB average).

The ESG Benchmark
In the ESG Benchmark 2022, tangible assets worth more than CHF 6'400 billions gross asset value were put under the microscope. The analysis enables providers to measure their own company against those of the respective peer groups and thus creates a high degree of transparency for all parties involved. The GRESB data is used by hundreds of investors and thousands of asset managers to compare investments across portfolios in terms of sustainability.
Due to annually changing assessments, new questions and weightings as well as supplemented criteria, this year in particular the majority of companies often achieved a worse score than in previous years, despite the same performance. It is therefore all the more remarkable that Swiss4net managed to repeatedly increase the points achieved compared to the previous year.

Environmental, Social and Governance Policy

We are committed to protecting the environment, fulfilling social responsibility and acting ethically. The performance is evaluated on a monthly basis.
more information

Green Fibre

Fibre is not only the best Internet technology with regard to speed and reliability, it is also by far the best for the environment. Fibre has a minimal ecological impact, reduces waste, consumes very little energy and helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
more information

Jobs

Swiss4net is growing and wants to continue to grow - therefore we are always looking for additional employees

Would you also like to work for an up-and-coming company in an agile and innovative environment? Then get in touch with us.