A tsunami of data across our networks - but we held up

The coronavirus emergency has hit the telephony sector like a tsunami during these days of forced quarantine: mainly in two areas – the influx of mobile connections and the flow of increased data traffic, which has heightened with telecommuting. Swisscom CEO Urs Schaeppi takes stock of this extraordinary situation.

It’s been a month since the start of the coronavirus crisis, what were the quarantine measures put into place for Swisscom?

«This emergency is a clear demonstration of how fundamental and vital digital infrastructure has become in our country. Thanks to teleworking, video telephony and digital services such as online shopping or telemedicine it is possible to preserve an important part of our economic and social life. At Swisscom, the focus is on permanent network monitoring with completely new forms of communication needed, not only in telephony, but also - for example - in video conferencing. This will make working from home easier. We see that there is now an extremely high demand for conference solutions, especially among SMEs. As for Swisscom staff, 85% of our 20,000 employees work from home. We divide our teams. At the end of February we published a section on the subject of our intranet, giving advice on the hygiene measures to be followed and communicating the number of our emergency call centres of which collaborators can contact. ».

Shortly before the pandemic Swisscom faced some technical breakdowns due to the increase in data traffic. The network has withstood the impact. What steps have been taken?

«In fact, during this extraordinary situation our data network: Swisscom TV, Netflix, and the Internet in general, has worked constantly and has continued to function well. At the same time, the behaviour of our customers in the field of telephony has changed significantly: they are making more calls and for longer periods. This started in mid-March and increased in a very short period of time especially at peak times which led to congestion of the line for calls between Swisscom and Sunrise customers (mobile and fixed network). Together with Sunrise, we have worked to expand the capacity of our networks. Since then, a significant improvement has been achieved. Regarding in particular the exchange of data, we currently see a peak of traffic on weekdays, especially in the evening, similar to what usually occurs on a Sunday in the same time period: we’ve reached peaks of 2.6 and 2.7 Terabits per second. This is due to Swisscom TV and other video content (such as Netflix), as video is generally the main data carrier. For telephony, calls on the mobile and fixed VoIP network require on average 50% more time than ‘normal’ times ».

In short, the coronavirus has shown us the reliability of the network. What is the situation with 5G and the placing of the antennas?

«The expansion of the network is a task that constantly pushes us. With the current limit values, ninety percent of the antennas in urban areas can no longer be expanded - the FOEN report recently published confirms this. It is therefore important to proceed with the expansion in order not to risk traffic jams in the future - 5G is much more efficient in data transmission and offers more reserves for contingencies. The consumption of our customers’ data will continue to increase. However, in Switzerland, we are currently blocked by various delays which also prevent us from even expanding 4G! In most cantons, the network expansion works continue more or less as planned. If building permits are available, we are expanding according to the plans and the possibilities. Expansion is difficult in French-speaking Switzerland, especially in the canton of Vaud, where construction has been blocked since May. But even in Ticino the conditions are demanding. Currently we have only been able to activate seventeen 5G antennas. And the current ban on construction works is further delaying expansion. All of this sooner or later will lead to congestion of data in the mobile phone network».

There are theories during this crisis that have linked 5G with the pandemic – Can you share your views on this subject?

«The people who make up these stories and spread these absurdities should be explained by a sociologist. However, I agree with the statement released by a British government medical advisor who said that this is “the worst kind of fake news”. How absurd these claims are is also demonstrated in the study of the International Commission for the Protection from Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP) which has advised WHO for decades on the protection from any radiations and which in its recently published study has come to the conclusion that daily inputs of mobile radio technologies are harmless. Even for 5G ».

In a situation of closure - of almost complete lockdown - how have you responded to customer needs?

«Swisscom, with all its employees throughout Switzerland, does everything possible to facilitate the work of the authorities and to show its presence in favour of private and commercial users. Most of our shops will remain open with shorter opening hours, thus guaranteeing the basic service. Anyone who has problems with the Internet connection or needs to have their cell phone repaired will quickly find help. In Ticino, in agreement with the cantonal authorities, the Swisscom Shops in Lugano and Bellinzona remain open, so that our customers can contact us in case of urgency. In addition, 85% of our call centre employees resolve requests by working from home. The remaining employees work in the Swisscom buildings following the hygiene measures indicated by the FOPH.

Swisscom has created an online emergency platform to respond to its private and institutional interlocutors as quickly as possible. How much has the demand for assistance increased?

«The ‘Ready together’ homepage shows a strong request for support from both private customers and companies. As regards to the coronavirus emergency, we facilitate the monitoring of the use of the various services and we are in the field to ensure the network capacity for all emergency organisations in Switzerland according to the B2B pandemic plan. The services provided include rapid switching and the installation of additional bandwidths, but also the offer of ad hoc communication solutions without excluding the supply of replacement mobile cards and mobile routers for urgent emergencies of general practitioners, hospitals and Spitex. For our customers in Ticino we are active even when urgent work is needed (new connections for work from home) ».

The reintroduction of normal working days is not yet known this creates great insecurity. Have you thought about precautionary measures to guarantee jobs?

«Together with my colleagues from the Group Management and the Taskforce Corona, we are evaluating various scenarios. However, especially at this stage, we are seeing a strong demand for Swisscom services, including digitisation. We therefore see no negative impact on Swisscom’s jobs in the medium to long term. At the same time, the ongoing coronavirus crisis and the protection measures ordered by the Confederation for the population until at least April 26 will have drastic economic consequences. Swisscom is also interested in this. For example, the opening hours of our shops have had to be massively reduced and about half of our stores will remain closed. In addition, several companies affiliated to us are also heavily affected.

What is your message as Swisscom CEO to the cantonal authorities and citizens during this crisis?

«I would like to express my sincere thanks to the cantonal and federal authorities for their prudent management of the country in this difficult period. Canton Ticino has so far demonstrated in an exemplary way how to manage this crisis and how important it is for everyone to stick to the rules and remain united. Joining forces is also fundamental for Swisscom, we are at your service ».