| Information Technology in
Switzerland |
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| Information Technology in
Switzerland |
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The following statistical information was obtained from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) 1997 annual report on telecommunications developments.
Internet 1995
HOSTS USERS
| Total | per 1 mil. inhabitants | Total |
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PCs 1995
| Total (mil.) | per 100 inhabitants |
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A recent study conducted by Cash, a Swiss newspaper, reported 1.5 million users on the Internet in Switzerland. Studies also estimate that one in every four persons over the age of 14 uses the Internet on a regular basis. With only 580,000 users estimated in 1996 under a similar study, explosive growth in continued Internet activity is predicted. Internet access is expected to grow annually 8-10%. (25)
Internet Connections
SWITCH is the Swiss national Internet backbone. The SWITCH Foundation, located in Zurich, was founded in 1987 with a Federal endowment. Founding members include representatives from the Swiss government and cantons representing universities in Zurich, Bern, Freiburg, Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen, Waadt, Neuenburg and Genf. The mission of the SWITCH Foundation is to provide Swiss universities and higher education and research institutes with data communications network services. The SWITCHlan network provides participants with Internet services and connectivity to international networks and the global Internet.(26) SWITCH is currently in the process of upgrading its network with the "SWITCH next generation" project. SWITCHng will be upgrading the current network to an ATM-based network with speeds up to 155Mbps. A two year contract for the upgrade was awarded to Diax/Ascom. A one year contract was awarded to WorldCom and UUnet for upgrades in services to US links.(27) The new network is expected in cost approximately SFr. 140 million of which the government is expected to pay half.(28) The roll out of the new network is expected in December of 1998. For a map of the SWITCHng network CLICK HERE
European Connections
European backbones include EUnet (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Ebone (Copenhagen, Denmark), AT&T-Unisource (Hoofddorp, Netherlands), Concert (Reston, Va.), Global One (Brussels, Belgium), IBM Global (Paris), PSInet (Herndon, Va.), UUnet (Fairfax, Va.), Cable & Wireless (London), Nacamar (Dreieich, Germany), Sonera (Helsinki, Finland, formerly Telecom Finland), and Wisper (London). All have connections in Switzerland except Sonera.(29)
EUnet
EUnet was established in 1992 as an Internet provider for business in Europe. EUnet has 14 European subsidiaries and a network covering 42 countries with 500 POPs. Country coverage includes Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia and Tunisia. EUnet supports leased lines, ISDN and "roaming" dial-up access. EUnet is growing at an annual rate of 53%. EUnet has 400 employees, 450,000 customer sites and 2 million users. On September 21, 1998, EUnet launched the first pan-European broadcast network over the Internet, EUnet Multimedia Network Services (EMNS). EUnet was also the first pan-European ISP. One problem with EUnet is pricing which can vary greatly from country to country.(30,31)
Ebone
Ebone was established in 1991 to provided global Internet connectivity in Europe. Ebone connects 96 Internet Service Providers in 24 countries. Ebone has interconnection points in Amsterdam, Brussels, Bratislava, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Munich, New York, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, Vienna and Zurich.(32)
Internet Service Providers
There are both national and international Internet Service Providers (ISPs) available in Europe. There are 95+ ISPs in Switzerland. (33) Swiss Online is the largest ISP in Switzerland with an estimated 150,000 members. For a complete list of ISPs in Switzerland CLICK HERE
The following is a comparative list of
a few ISP modem dial-up fees in Switzerland . Fees vary greatly.(34)
| ISP | Minimum (SFr.) | Connection (SFr.) |
| AOL Germany | 9/mo. (2 hrs. free) | 6/hr. |
| BITCom | 36/mo. (students 29/mo.) | free |
| C@PP | 240/yr. | free |
| Click | 30/mo. | free |
| Compuserve | 9.95/mo. (5 hrs. free) | 2.50/hr. |
| EUnet | 25/mo. (5 hrs. free) | .04-.08/min. |
| 55/mo. (30 hrs. free) | .04-.08/min. | |
| Geneva-Link | 100/yr. | free |
| IBM | 19/mo. (5 hrs. free) | 3/hr. |
| 32/mo. | free | |
| NT-Internet | 42.60/mo. | free |
| PingNet | 5/mo. (5 hrs. free) | 5/hr. |
| 19.95/mo.(50 hrs. free) | 5/hr. | |
| 39.95/mo. | free | |
| Regio Online AG | 222/yr. (+20 sign-up fee) | free |
| 25/mo.(+20 sign-up fee) | free | |
| Swissline | 32.50/mo. | free |
| Swiss Online | 15/mo. (5 free) | 4/hr. |
| 29/mo. | free | |
| @thenet.ch | 35/mo. | free |
| WorldCom | 25/mo. | free |
| Zugernet | 15/mo. (1 hr. free) | 3.90/hr. |
| 50/mo. | free | |
| 500/yr. | free |
For a list of ISP coordinates in Switzerland CLICK HERE
Internet via CableCom
CableCom is soon to be offering Internet access. There is great promise for this new provider that is expected to offer connections 100 times faster than regular phone lines. It is also expected to dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, local phone charges for Internet users. Cable modems will also offer better quality for multimedia applications such as audio, video and voice-over-Internet. CableCom dominates the Swiss market with 50% market share. An estimated 1.3 million users are served by CableCom. To create a customer base, CableCom will buy 25% of Swiss Online. Some ISPs are concerned about a monopolistic situation between the two companies, and CableCom will therefore offer its gateway to other ISPs. CableCom will offer services at SFr. 65. CableCom will invest SFR. 500 million which will include the upgrade of switches to allow bi-directional communications. (35)
Host Count Statistics
In November 1998, Switzerland had 270,404 registered domain names. For July 1998, numbers for Switzerland are provided by SWITCH and CH/LI DOM-REG, numbers for Europe are provided by RIPE and numbers for the world are provided by Network Wizards. The cost for registration in Switzerland is an initial fee of SFr. 80 and a reoccurring fee of SFr. 48 per year.(36)
July 1998
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The Net
The Net- Internet Services AG has provided with Swiss business with market research and Internet support services since 1993. It's three divisions are:
For a list of Cybercafes in Switzerland
CLICK
HERE
Privatization
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Email: ml8359a@american.edu
Last updated: December 18, 1998