Swisscom and Salt enter into fiber optic partnership
After the failed fiber optic cooperation with Sunrise, Salt is teaming up with the industry leader: Swisscom and Salt are concluding a fiber-optic partnership, as they announced in a communiqué on Thursday.
Salt is investing in a long-term right to use Swisscom's fiber optic connections and is thus participating in the high network investments and the associated business risks. However, Swisscom continues to bear overall responsibility for network planning, network expansion and maintenance, and remains the owner of the infrastructure, the statement added.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the amount of Salt's investment, a Swisscom spokeswoman said on request. The financial impact for Swisscom would be positive in terms of revenue and operating profit before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the years 2021 to 2025, as well as free cash flow over the term of the partnership. The effect in the current year 2021 is included in the new financial targets.
The partnership will allow Salt to significantly expand its fixed-line coverage, the third-largest mobile operator, for its part, wrote in a communiqué: by 2025, Salt's fiber coverage into homes, including current agreements with utilities across Switzerland, is expected to reach about 3 million households.
The partnership is not exclusive, Swisscom wrote. "Swisscom and Salt are free to work with other partners at any time," it said. Swisscom also offers any competitor non-discriminatory network access.
This would also give providers without their own network access to the maximum available bandwidth. Swisscom remains open to further cooperation projects - whether in the form of a fiber-optic partnership such as with Salt, fiber-optic cooperation at local level or other forms of network access (wholesale). (SDA)
