Swisscom: Consolidating Leadership in the Fixed Network Market Through Innovation and AI

At the 10th Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF 2024), Bram van der Zwet, Lead Architect Network & Infrastructure at Swisscom, discussed his company's leadership in the fixed network market, its commitment to technological innovation, and its forward-looking strategic planning in an exclusive interview.

Network quality is a key differentiator in the market

Swisscom is a leader in the Swiss fixed network market with approximately 2 million users. Bram emphasized that the cornerstone of Swisscom's success in the highly competitive market lies in its unwavering commitment to quality, encompassing both network capacity and service availability. He said that Swisscom is investing heavily in its fiber infrastructure, including fiber to the home (FTTH) and bearer networks, in order to enhance network capacity. In addition, Swisscom strives for 100% uptime, aiming to provide users with the most reliable network services.

Simplicity ensures reliability

Swisscom believes that simplifying networks is the most direct and important way to achieve high availability. Swisscom is building a single, unified network that adopts SRv6 — a simpler, more modern protocol stack than MPLS. Throughout the evolution of Swisscom's networks, this design concept has remained a consistent thread, highlighting the lasting importance of simplicity in ensuring service availability. In addition, Swisscom is pushing the boundaries of what's possible with SRv6 by expanding its applications. SRv6 is currently deployed on Swisscom's bearer and aggregation networks. It will reach up to virtual machines (VMs) and containers in data centers, as well as customer premises equipment (CPEs).

Net5.5G concept gains traction, especially in enterprise use cases

Swisscom acknowledges the Net5.5G architecture and technologies defined by the World Broadband Association (WBBA). Swisscom is actively exploring the application of Net5.5G key technologies, such as SRv6 and network slicing in actual services, providing enterprises with a new VPN service that connects different premises and clouds with guaranteed quality. This will provide customers with more flexible and reliable services, potentially unlocking new revenue opportunities for them.

CI/CD drives the cultural shift from telco to techco

It is important to emphasize that the team adopted CI/CD pipelines from the very beginning of network construction, enabling full automation of development processes, including automated testing. This innovative approach marked a significant departure from traditional methods, particularly for network operators with decades of experience who had never worked within such a framework. What started as a new way of working is now evolving into a company-wide culture, with growing appreciation for how the entire organization is embracing this transformation.

A software-driven operation system is the foundation to solve future challenges

Swisscom is proactively addressing the challenges posed by the rapid development of new applications and technologies such as AI and digital services. Bram revealed that Swisscom is in the middle of a major transformation, focusing on consolidating its networks, deploying cutting-edge technologies, and upgrading its IT infrastructure. Swisscom's fundamental approach is to develop a software-driven operations system that can adapt to potential network changes in the future. The operations system is designed to be sustainable and evolvable. No matter how physical networks change and evolve, the bedrock of Swisscom remains unaffected.

Swisscom continues to solidify its position as a leader in the Swiss fixed network market by consistently enhancing its infrastructure and service offerings. At the same time, the company is proactively addressing the evolving challenges and opportunities brought by the AI era. By staying at the forefront of technological advancements, Swisscom demonstrates its commitment to maintaining its competitive edge while shaping the future of connectivity.

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