If you are planning to move to, or visit, the more rural areas of Switzerland, you may want to know whether you’ll be able to use your smartphone and computer without a hitch.
On August 9th, the Federal Council announced that it plans to extend high-speed internet, with speeds of at least 1 gigabit per second, to all corners of Switzerland – including to “sparsely populated rural areas.”
Does this mean that there are many (or any) ‘dead zones’ in Switzerland?
Obviously, this is not a reference to cemeteries, but in the lingo of the second half of the 21st century this means areas that can’t be reached by cellular or wireless signals, therefore leaving residents and visitors without mobile phone or internet connection.
Let’s look at the big picture first.
According to the Swiss government, “Switzerland’s infrastructure is high-performance, providing internet access to 99 percent of households through various technologies (DSL, fibre-optic, cable television and mobile telephony).”
Further, “the country relies on a highly advanced mix of fiber-optic expansions and robust 5G networks, ensuring excellent connectivity even across its challenging Alpine geography.”
So, there is a 99-percent coverage, but what about the remaining 1 percent of the population – that is, approximately 91,000 people?
Urban versus rural divide
The overall connectivity situation can be glimpsed from this government map.
The darkest blue areas indicate municipalities with the best high-speed connection – for instance, Zurich with 99.8-percent coverage; Lausanne and Basel (99.5); Schaffhausen (99.2); and Lucerne (99), to mention just a few.
But while most of Switzerland is dark-blue (that is, well-covered), some areas don’t fare as well.
For example, only 3.5 percent of the Ticino hamlet of Lavizzara is covered, which could be explained by the fact that it lies in a valley – notorious dead zones.
But its 540 residents are still better off that their 37 counterparts in Cerentino, another village situated in a nearby valley.
They are the two places in Switzerland with the worst internet/mobile access – as indicated by their light-blue colour.
What about the Alps?
It all depends on where (and how high up) you are.
Generally, however, resorts located even at high altitudes have a decent connectivity: 85.1 percenr of Davos is connected, as is another Graubünden resort, Laax (92.1).
This also holds true for some peaks: Switzerland’s most famous one, the Matterhorn, has a reliable mobile connectivity at the tourist summit station, but not everywhere on the mountain.
The same holds true for another iconic mountain – the Jungfraujoch: certain areas have some connectivity, but not all.
As one tourist summed it up: “You’ll have great coverage in urban areas, but weaker signal in rural areas, especially when exploring valleys and mountains.”
You tell us. What’s your experience of the internet and phone coverage in rural Switzerland?
