After having introduced 4G/LTE at the end of 2012 and LTE advanced in mid-2014, Swisscom is now testing 4G/LTE bandwidths of up to 450 Mbps. Operator expects to launch higher speeds from the end of 2015. It will also be possible to make phone calls via 4G/LTE from summer next year, too.

Over 94% of Swisscom customers can already use the 4G/LTE network today. Over the past few weeks, Swisscom has even been offering access to 4G+ (LTE advanced) in limited locations with theoretical bandwidths of up to 300 Mbps. The first smartphones that support these bandwidths are now available. 

Swisscom 4G+ will be available in the cities of Berne, Biel, Lausanne, Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Lugano and Basel by the end of 2014, with approximately 30% of the population benefiting from the high-speed network by the end of 2015. 

At a media event held in Ittigen, near Berne, Swisscom demonstrated the bundling of three 4G/LTE frequencies, which allows for theoretical bandwidths of up to 450 Mbps. It is set to become available for Swisscom customers at the end of 2015. Swisscom expects that the first smartphones to be able to support these speeds will be available at this point in time also.

The current Swisscom LTE network is purely a data network. It is not possible to make calls via LTE. Using Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Swisscom will also offer the possibility of making calls on the LTE network from the middle of 2015.