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The Swiss operator continues to receive glowing reviews for its 5G network
As one of the first markets to adopt 5G, Switzerland has been a major battleground for the new technology, with Sunrise and incumbent Swisscom going head to head for 5G supremacy, and Salt not far behind.
For years now, Sunrise and Swisscom have been exchanging places at the top of the podium, but 2020 seems to belong entirely to Sunrise.
According to the annual ‘connect mobile network test’, Sunrise offers the best mobile data network for 5G, achieving 100% reliability in four of five test categories, as well as average data rates of up to 469 Mbit/s.
Media download speeds for 5G on Sunrise’s network reach around 405 Mbps, while nearest rival Swisscom could only achieve just over half this total, with 219 Mbps. A similar scenario can be seen when it comes to upload, with Sunrise’s media 5G speeds around 51.3 Mbps and Swisscom around 30.6 Mbps.
“In terms of the data rates achieved via 5G in all test scenarios considered, Sunrise again takes the lead,” read the report.
The magazine also awarded Sunrise with the 5G Innovation Award, overall ranking the operator as ‘Outstanding’ for the fifth year in a row.
Similar praise was delivered from analysis firm RootMetrics, that found Sunrise to offer the fastest 5G network in Switzerland.
In order to attain an accurate picture of Swiss 5G, RootMetrics sued more than 55,000 5G measurements taken of the Swiss operators’ 5G capabilities on a journey spanning 6,500 km between Geneva and Zurich. The measurements were taken while moving in cars and trains, as well as while on foot in in more than 140 public buildings (e.g. cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets) and pedestrian areas of the two cities. Overall, tests routes were designed to encompass all the areas that the Swiss operators currently claim to have supplied with 5G.
The results showed a clear edge for Sunrise’s 5G in both Geneva and Zurich, beating Swisscom’s network in terms of maximum and median download speeds, as well as lower latency, in both cities.
“We were the first provider to launch 5G in Switzerland and Europe. Since then, leading independent tests have confirmed that Sunrise has the fastest and most reliable 5G network,” said André Krause, CEO of Sunrise. “This is just as important for business customer applications as it is for the consumers who already use a 5G device. 5G devices are selling very well, growth is rapid. Thanks to the investments we have made, customers are enjoying the benefits of a world-leading mobile network.”
Sunrise’s 5G network currently covers more than 90% of the Swiss population with basic 5G (up to 1 Gbit/s) and over 686 cities and villages with high-speed 5G (up to 2 Gbit/s).
Last month, Liberty Global announced that it had completed its acquisition of Sunrise, meaning that the company is set to merge with Liberty’s UPC Switzerland early next year. The $7.4 billion deal was first announced in August and will give Sunrise the financial boost it needs to continue to challenge Swisscom for market supremacy. In the coming year, 5G will be the tip of the spear in this contest, meaning Sunrise must surely be delighted with this early lead.
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