http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/wirtsc...1.6212950.html

Excellent news - and just in time for the next iPhone :-)

I believe this clearly shows the anti-trust commission's decision to ban the merger between Orange and Sunrise was the right one. Both Sunrise and Orange have recently stepped up their game. With the introduction of another EDGE network (which won't be taking very long - Orange France and O2 UK built their EDGE capability in less than a year as this doesn't require new antennas), there will be three capable contenders in the Swiss market.

With Swisscom's recent network-overload problems and Sunrise's massive gain in market share (they're up 3% in the last quarter), things are finally looking better for the customers.

Peter

well, I guess I was wrong on pretty much everything in here:

- Orange still isn't offering EDGE
- prices went up quite a bit

still looking bleak for Swiss customers :-/

Was reading your OP (hadn't looked at the date) and after a few seconds I was thinking "what is he on about?" LOL

Yeah, I'm thinking the same about my original post. And at the same time find it rather sad how there's absolutely NOTHING going on in this market. The prices have been going up, rather than going down, the network quality is abysmal compared to other European markets, there's no competition.

Peter

I totally agree plus the Orange coverage is really bad. I live quite close to the border and 50% of the time when I'm home I have no coverage. It sucks!

We have to stand outside on the terrace to get decent reception. Calls drop like flies. Even more.

I hear you. We live on the border to Germany and don't get decent reception from any of the Swiss networks here. O2 and T-Mobile have better reception here than Swisscom, Orange and Sunrise :-/

I moved three times in the UK, and had to change mobile phone company every time because I had no coverage at my new address - and this was all within major cities.

I really don't find the Orange coverage here in Switzerland to be too bad, and it's been good in some surprisingly off-the-beaten-track places. EDGE however would be very nice

I heard that France Télécom will sell Orange Switzerland to Apax Partners,

This was said around end of December last year - the reason for that deal wasto be the first major step in the chief executive’s plan to unload slow-growing European operations to focus on faster-growing markets.

Actually my Swisscom phone works much much better as I never miss calls on that one...haating Orange at the mo.

That is indeed happening right now. Let's see what Apax does with Orange CH now.

IMO, they'll either suck it dry and get rid of it after a few years or invest in it and try to make it a better company than sunrise & Swisscom. Time will tell I guess!

To be fair can you not blame everything on the operators: Swiss tend to build their houses strong as bunkers. If you put that much metal into the walls will you indeed have bad reception on the inside... but your house will stand for centuries.

The Swiss market is simply common sense: Extremely high costs to improve the networks versus very small gains if any. Seriously: If Sunrise gains 3% market share they are at what? Some 15-20% of a market of 7.5 Million people. That is a terrible ROI for the many millions a good network in a country as challenging (topography, labor costs...) as Switzerland.

It is simple: It makes financially no sense to challenge Swisscom very hard, so nobody will seriously do it.

Finally, I am really having a lot of difficulties even at the center of Lausanne.

As far as I know, EDGE is an old technology (optimization of GSM)... Nothing to do with 3G/UMTS.
EDGE only needs some upgrades in the base stations, and it a little bit faster as GSM!

EDGE = Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhance..._GSM_Evolution

@Jonesy let's put it that way: Orange started upgrading the base stations in 2011 and so far nothing has happened, really. Either the process is more difficult than initially thought or they're not really putting much of an effort in there.

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When I first came here I couldn't believe people still payed more than a flat rate for land line phones. Then when I looked at mobile service it felt like I took a step back in time, about 15 years when pricing was insane in the US. Progress will come and prices will be driven down with better service. When? No idea.

The whole thing is crazy.

I wouldn't count on it. There's no competition here and it doesn't look as though there's going to be any in the future. Prices have been going up for two consecutive years now.

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