Swisscom

Swisscom AG

Type	Aktiengesellschaft
Traded as	SIX: SCMN
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	1 January 1998 (Bern, Switzerland)
Headquarters	Worblaufen, Switzerland
Key people	Urs Schaeppi (Interim CEO), Hansueli Loosli (Chairman)
Products	Fixedline & Mobile Telephony Fixedline & Mobile Internet Digital Television IT Services & Networking Solutions
Revenue	CHF 11.384 billion (2012)[1]
Operating income	CHF 2.43 billion (2012)[1]
Profit	CHF 1.76 billion (2012)[1]
Total assets	CHF 20.09 billion (end 2012)[1]
Total equity	CHF 4.15 billion (end 2012)[1]
Owner(s)	Swiss Government
Employees	19,514 (FTE, end 2012)[1]
Website	www.swisscom.ch

Swisscom AG is a major telecommunications provider in Switzerland. Along with Swiss Post, it is a successor company to the former state-owned PTT. Its headquarters are located at Worblaufen near Bern. The Swiss Confederation owns 56.94 percent of Swisscom.^[2]

History

The former state-owned PTT (Post, Telegraph, Telephone, founded 1852) was privatised in stages from 1988 onwards and became a public limited company with special legal status in October 1998. The Swiss Confederation currently holds 56.94% of the share capital. The Telecommunications Companies Act limits outside participation to 49.9% of the share capital.

In its 5 April 2006 message, the Federal Council proposed to Parliament that Swisscom should be completely privatised and that the Swiss Confederation should sell its shares in stages . On 10 May 2006, the National Council declined to support the proposal. On 20 May 2006 the Advisory Committee of the Council of States advised the Council of States to endorse the proposal – but only so that it could be referred back to the Federal Council for revision.

Swisscom announced its new visual identity on 14 December 2007. The previous sub-brands of Swisscom Fixnet, Swisscom Mobile and Swisscom Solutions ceased to exist on 1 January 2008. Part of the new identity includes a redesigned logo with a moving picture element – an innovation for Switzerland and the industry.^[3]

On 23 July 2013 the CEO of Swisscom, Carsten Schloter was found dead from "an apparent suicide." Urs Schaeppi was appointed interim CEO.^[4]

Organization

Swisscom Switzerland

Blue-win tower in Zürich

Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd underwent a reorganization on 1 January 2008. The Group companies Fixnet, Mobile and Solutions were dissolved and replaced by the Residential Customers, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Corporate Business Divisions. The IT platforms and the fixed-network and mobile communications infrastructures of the former Group companies were merged into the “Network & IT” Division.

Corporate Business

The Corporate Business Division supports customers with the planning, implementation and operation of their IT and communications infrastructure.

Network & IT

Swisscom Network & IT builds, operates and maintains Swisscom's nationwide fixed-line and mobile communications infrastructure. The division is also responsible for the corresponding IT platforms and is in charge of migrating the networks to an integrated IT and IP-based platform (All-IP).

Swisscom IT Services

Swisscom IT Services is one of Switzerland’s leading IT service providers. Andreas König is its current CEO. Swisscom IT Services' key customers include the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Ascom, Swiss and the Securitas Group. In 2005 Swisscom IT Services acquired Comit AG, an IT company specialising in the financial services sector. Comit continued to be run as an independent brand until June 2011. Since then it has been merged into the Swisscom brand as "Finance Services".^[5][6]

FASTWEB

In the first half of 2007, Swisscom acquired a majority holding in the Italian company FASTWEB. During the offer period, which ran from 10 April to 15 May 2007, Swisscom succeeded in acquiring 80.7% of FASTWEB's share capital, which, when added to Swisscom's existing stake, meant that Swisscom owned 82.4% of FASTWEB shares by the cut-off date of 22 May. The total transaction amounts to EUR 4.2 billion or CHF 6.9 billion.^[7]

Swisscom participations

The participations portfolio covers the five business fields of "broadcasting" through Swisscom Broadcast, "network construction and maintenance" through Cablex, "Building management and business travel (incl. vehicle fleet management)" through Swisscom Real Estate Ltd, "Billing and collection" through Billag, Alphapay and Medipa Abrechnungskasse, and "Mobile Solutions" through Minick Holding and Sicap.

International Carrier Services

June 26, 2009, MTN Group participated in Belgacom ICS (BICS), a subsidiary of Belgacom, by merging it with its own subsidiary, MTN ICS. BICS will function as official international gateway for all international carrier services of Belgacom, Swisscom and MTN Group. These companies respectively hold 57.6%, 22.4% and 20.0% of the shares of the company.

coComment

In February 2006, Swisscom launched the Web 2.0 website coComment, which allows users to track any discussion online.

Swisscom Hospitality Services

Swisscom Hospitality Services (SHS) is a division of Swisscom AG that provides what it calls "integrated technology solutions" to the global hotel industry. SHS services Hyatt, Rezidor, IHG, Marriott, Hilton Worldwide, Accor, Mandarin Oriental and other leading hotel groups across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Founded in 2002 as Swisscom Eurospot, the company originally specialised in providing High-Speed Internet (HSIA) access services to hotel guests in European 4- and 5-star hotels. With the rising complexity of information and communication technology and increasing cost pressures affecting the hotel business, SHS has brought forward a wider range of applications including Voice over IP, Hotel TV, High-speed Internet and tablet-based room controls that are offered through a converged hotel network infrastructure. In 2012, the company introduced a Managed Network Services offering specifically for its hotel customers.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• www.swisscom.ch —Company site
• www.bics.com —BICS.com

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