Swisscom strikes deal for rollout of FTTH in Swiss capital

Swisscom has struck an agreement with utility Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB) on the rollout of a fibre network in the Swiss capital.

The agreement leaves open precisely how the cost of building the network will be shared, although Swisscom has agreed to undertake 60% of the total investment of around CHF170m (€116m). IWB will control the access network up to the end user. Final agreement will be worked out between now and April.

The preliminary agreement still has to be approved by the IWB board of directors, the cantonal council and the cantonal parliament of Basel-Stadt. Under the plan, four fibres will be laid to each household to ensure that the network remains competitive over the long term.