UPC Switzerland

Last updated
UPC Switzerland [1]
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Telecommunications
PredecessorSunrise Communications  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Founded1994;30 years ago (1994)
DefunctMay 23, 2022 (2022-05-23)
FateDiscontinued in favor of Sunrise
Successor Sunrise
Headquarters
Zurich, Switzerland
Key people
Baptiest Coopmans (CEO)
Revenue1.296 billion CHF (2018) [2]
Number of employees
approx. 1,500 (2018) [2]
Parent UPC Broadband
Website www.upc.ch

UPC was the largest cable operator in Switzerland with around 1.1 million residential and business customers and was formed in 1994 through the merger of several cable operators. UPC has been a subsidiary of Liberty Global from 2005 until its discontinuation in 2022. [1]

Contents

On 27 February 2019, the Swiss telecommunications company Sunrise Communications announced the planned purchase of UPC Switzerland from Liberty Global, with purchasing price of 6.3 billion CHF, but it was cancelled in December. In August 2020, the reverse operation occurred, Liberty Global, UPC's parent company, announced that it will acquire Sunrise for $7.4 billion. [3] On May 23, 2022, UPC was discontinued in favor of Sunrise. [4]

History

In the 1930s, the first cable network operators started to broadcast a variety of radio channels to households via cable. One of these cable network operators, Rediffusion S.A., which was established in 1931, transmitted radio programmes via wire broadcasting. At the end of the 1950s, Rediffusion S.A. broadcast the first black and white television channels from the Uetliberg. In 1994, Rediffusion and other independent cable network companies merged to form Cablecom, owned by Siemens, VEBA and Swisscom. [5]

Cablecom acquired the successful Internet service provider SwissOnline in 1998. Over the following years the cable operator grew by acquiring various cable network companies including, for instance, Balcab and Sitel. These takeovers allowed Cablecom to extend its network in further parts of Switzerland In 2000, the previous owners of Cablecom sold out to British-American NTL for 5.8 billion Swiss francs. In the years that followed, operational activities were sustainably improved. In the wake of financial difficulties NTL sold Cablecom to a group of banks and private investors in 2003.[ citation needed ]

The owners planned to go public with Cablecom in the middle of October 2005. After Liberty Global Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Global, acquired Cablecom for 2.8 billion on 30 September 2005, the planned IPO was withdrawn. In the years that followed, Cablecom invested in expanding its network. In 2007, the company launched high-definition television (HDTV). Two years later, Cablecom introduced its first combination deals (package with Internet, telephony and television). In 2010, Cablecom launched the DigiCard enabling customers to enjoy digital TV without having to connect an additional device to their television set. In 2011, Cablecom began offering Video on Demand with 3D content. [5]

Cablecom was relaunched as upc cablecom in April 2011. In the course of rebranding the red wrench was replaced by a new logo in the form of a lotus blossom. A coloured version of the light blue logo used by UPC Broadband (at that time the operating company of Liberty Global). [6]

On 14 January 2013, UPC introduced the Horizon set-top box. [7] This system comprises a set-top box for digital television and HDTV, combined with an Internet modem with WLAN, IP telephony and a hard disk recorder.[ citation needed ]

On 1 August 2015, Liberty Global brought together the two sister companies, UPC Cablecom and UPC Austria, to create a joint regional organisation based in Zurich. [8]

Since 25 May 2016, UPC Cablecom has been known simply as UPC. [9]

On 1 August 2018 UPC Austria was taken over by T-Mobile Austria and in May 2019, the new brand identity Magenta Telekom was presented. [10] [11]

On 1 September 2018, Severina Pascu took over the role of CEO from Eric Tveter, who had served as CEO since 2009. [12]

On 27 February 2019, Sunrise Communications AG announced it intent to buy UPC Switzerland. The merger was cancelled on 18 December 2019. [13]

On May 23, 2022, UPC was discontinued in favor of Sunrise. [14]

Company details

UPC Connect Box CPE with improved Wi-Fi (2016) Connectbox.jpeg
UPC Connect Box CPE with improved Wi-Fi (2016)

As of 30 June 2019, UPC supplied 1.1 million Swiss customers with over 2.4 million services (approx. 1,041,000 television, 677,000 broadband Internet, 511,000 fixed network phone and 173,000 mobile customers). UPC currently employs around 1,500 people in Switzerland. [15]

Products

Television and radio

UPC broadcasts digitalised television and radio channels. The foundations for this were laid in 1999 when 32 digital channels were broadcast in parallel to the analogue offer for the first time. In November 2012, UPC abolished basic encryption for its basic TV package comprising 55 digital TV channels and 100 digital radio stations. Despite the digitisation, at least 36 analogue TV channels and 34 analogue radio stations were still broadcast via UPC's cable network depending on the region. In the Federal Act on Radio and Television the Federal Council prescribed a must-carry list for analogue channels. This included analogue channels stipulated by the Federal Council that had to be broadcast throughout Switzerland by UPC and other cable television providers. This must-carry rule was changed following the amendment of the DETEC Ordinance on Radio and Television on 13 May 2013.[ citation needed ]

As a consequence of this, only the SBC channels and licensed regional channels as well as youth channel Joiz had to be broadcast in analogue. This obligation ended on 31 December 2014 (Joiz: 21 March 2015) or earlier if a cable operator offered a basic offer at no additional cost and a digital/analogue converter. And so UPC completely digitised central Switzerland in autumn 2014 as part of a pilot project – and on 7 July 2015 the last analogue channels were switched off by UPC Cablecom in Ticino. [16] The abolition of basic encryption also made it possible for customers to choose their preferred device for reception (TV, receiver, recorder, DigiCard). In order to take advantage of the basic digital offer, all that is needed is an active cable connection, an aerial cable and a television set with an integrated DVB-C receiver or a converter for older television sets. In order to receive additional offers via the cable network a receiver is required – either a set-top box (recorder/receiver) or a SmartCard.[ citation needed ]

Happy Home

At the start of 2019, UPC replaced the bundles previously known as “Connect & Play”. Three levels correspond to download speeds measured in Mbit/s (As of 31 March 2019 the maximum speed was 600 Mbit/s). The packages include Internet access, the UPC TV package and a fixed network connection – with an option including free calls within Switzerland and to the EU also available. At the same time, the UPC Connect App was also introduced in order to improve customers’ wifi coverage by helping them set up the Connect Box and scanning the wifi coverage in their homes. Power-line communication adapters can also create Wi-Fi hotspots in other rooms. [17]

UPC TV and MySports

In October 2018, UPC TV (the successor to the Horizon HD recorder) was launched. The box – including features such as voice control, personal recommendations, a search function and personal profiles – was introduced in April 2019. However, for users, UPC TV is not limited to the TV Box. The UPC TV App can also be used to watch TV, independent of the platform. As of 30 June 2019, around 200,000 UPC TV boxes were already on the market in Switzerland. [18]

The MySports sports channel on the other hand was launched in September 2017 and offers different sports, such as Swiss National League ice hockey as well as Formula E. In August 2018, MySports One was marketed to all UPC TV customers. [19] MySports Go, launched in September 2018, is the result of a partnership between MySports and Sky and is available for owners of the Sky Sport App. [20]

UPC was the first company in Switzerland to introduce a flat rate model for films and series, MyPrime. At the end of 2016, more than 10,000 items of content such as classic films, series, documentaries and children's programmes were available to customers in German-, French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. [21]

Internet

UPC offers broadband Internet via its cable network (fibre optic cable network). The company has over 686,000 customers in this segment (as of 31 March 2019). The cable network consists of 95% optical fibre cable and 5% coaxial cable, known as hybrid fibre coax (HFC). The Internet service is operated with the DOCSIS 3.0 standard.[ citation needed ]

Since November 2012, the cable connection from UPC has also included a digital basic offer for existing customers with 2 Mbit/s Internet access as well as a TV offer, and since January 2015 a landline telephone connection. In addition, the UPC TV App can also be used with this offer. [22]

Wi-Free

Since autumn 2014, UPC has offered its customers Switzerland's biggest free wifi network with Wi-Free. This means UPC customers can browse the web at around 500,000 locations in Switzerland and over 2 million locations in Europe free of charge on their smartphone, tablet etc.[ citation needed ]

Phone

Fixed network

Since July 2003, UPC has had a telephony offering with Voice over Cable. 514,000 customers use their cable to make telephone calls (correct as of 31 March 2019). [15]

Mobile services

Since April 2014, UPC has offered Mobile services to its existing customers. Since January 2019, UPC offers its Mobile services using the existing Swisscom mobile network (prior it was Salt) and is thus an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) provider. Apart from the use of Swisscom's mobile phone masts, the company provides all services itself. In the second quarter of 2019, 173,000 people had a Mobile subscription from UPC. [23]

Business customers

UPC Business has offered communication solutions for companies since 1999 – including small- and medium-sized enterprises, cantonal banks, hospitals, public administrations etc. – and plays an important role in the Swiss B2B market. In the finance sector, the company now provides connectivity and managed services to more than half of all cantonal banks. Further customers include SV (Switzerland) AG (IP telephony solutions and LAN management) and the BKW Group (software-defined WAN). [24]

Competitive environment

Bundles

UPC's strongest competitor is Swisscom. At UPC, such bundles include television, Internet and telephony services. [25] Comparable offers have been available from Swisscom and Sunrise since December 2011. Salt entered the fixed network business in March 2018 with “Salt Fibre”.[ citation needed ]

Television

UPC is the second largest provider with 1.041 million TV customers. (correct as of 30 June 2019). This corresponds to a 26 per cent share of the Swiss TV market. The leader in this category is Swisscom with just under 35 per cent. Sunrise has just a 5 per cent share of the TV market. Added together, the other cable operators make up a 26 per cent share, like UPC. The remaining 8 per cent is accounted for by satellite and antenna reception. [26]

Internet

UPC's fibre optic cable network supplies around 3 million homes in Switzerland and offers Internet speeds of 600 Mbit/s downstream and 60 Mbit/s upstream (correct as of March 2019) throughout the whole network – both in the city and in the countryside. The highest speed Internet connections from Swisscom and also from Sunrise are currently 100 Mbit/s (VDSL) and 1 Gbit/s (FTTH) respectively.[ citation needed ]

UPC Switzerland's speeds are made possible by a hybrid network with a high fibre proportion in combination with coaxial cable. This means that the existing Internet capacities can be increased continuously on the existing network as required – by expanding the frequency range or bundling channels. The status quo of 600 Mbit/s can therefore be adjusted to meet future customer needs – without additional construction work in streets or houses being necessary. [27]

Phone

UPC, Sunrise and Swisscom offer various subscriptions for fixed network as well as for mobile telephony. All providers have special tariffs that vary according to the type of subscription.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Telecommunications in Ireland operate in a regulated competitive market that provides customers with a wide array of advanced digital services. This article explores Ireland's telecommunications infrastructure including: fixed and mobile networks, The voice, data and Internet services, cable television, developments in next-generation networks and broadcast networks for radio and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorus Communication Limited</span>

Chorus, officially Chorus Communication Limited, was a communications provider in Ireland offering internet, television and telephone services. It was owned by Liberty Global Europe and ultimately controlled by John C. Malone's Liberty Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Protocol television</span> Television transmitted over a computer network

Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, IPTV offers the ability to stream the source media continuously. As a result, a client media player can begin playing the content almost immediately. This is known as streaming media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">StarHub</span> Singaporean telecommunications company

StarHub Limited, commonly known as StarHub, is a Singaporean multinational telecommunications conglomerate and one of the major telcos operating in the country. Founded in 1998, it is listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telenet (provider)</span> Largest provider of cable broadband services in Belgium

Telenet Group N.V. is the largest provider of cable broadband services in Belgium. Its business comprises the provision of analog and digital cable television, fixed and mobile telephone services, primarily to residential customers in Flanders and Brussels. In addition, Telenet offers services to business customers all across Belgium and in Luxembourg under its brand Telenet Solutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple play (telecommunications)</span>

In the field of telecommunications, the concept of triple play service refers to the provision of three essential services — high-speed broadband Internet access, television, and latency-sensitive telephone services — all delivered over a single broadband connection. This approach emphasizes the convergence of multiple services by a single supplier, aiming to enhance user convenience and streamline service delivery.

Vodafone Deutschland GmbH is the largest cable television operator in Germany. Kabel Deutschland was subject to a hostile takeover bid by the British Vodafone Group in September 2013; the deal was approved in December 2013 and finalised on 29 January 2014. Until the takeover the company name was Kabel Deutschland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NTL Ireland</span>

NTL Communications (Ireland) Limited was a cable television and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) company in Ireland. As of 2005 it was owned by Liberty Global Europe, having been divested by NTL. It was rebranded as UPC Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fastweb (telecommunications company)</span> Italian telecommunications company

FASTWEB S.p.A. is an Italian telecommunications company that provides fixed and mobile telephony, broadband Internet and IPTV services. It is also one of the prominent companies in Italy providing FTTH connections, and is a subsidiary of the Swiss telecommunication company Swisscom AG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Media</span> British television and telecommunications company

Virgin Media is a telecommunications company from England, founded in 2007, which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica.

ONO was a Spanish broadband communication and entertainment company, delivering integrated telephone, television and Internet services to its residential customers. In this segment, it has 3.7 million services contracted and over six million users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Media Ireland</span> Irish telecommunications company

Virgin Media Ireland is Liberty Global's telecommunications operation in Ireland. It is the largest digital cable television provider within the country. As of 31 December 2014, the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital (VoIP) telephony to 1 million customers. Until 4 May 2010, Virgin Media Ireland traded under the name Chorus NTL and UPC Ireland until 5 October 2015. Its main competitors in the Irish pay TV market are Sky Ireland, Eir and Vodafone Ireland.

Internet usage is notably extensive in Switzerland, with 96% of the population aged between 15 and 88 engaging online in 2021. This figure demonstrates a wide adoption across age demographics, highlighted by the fact that over half of those aged 75 and above are daily internet users. The country's advanced broadband infrastructure plays a key role in facilitating this level of usage. By the end of 2022, Switzerland was ranked highest in broadband penetration among the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Vodafone Hungary is the third largest mobile operator in Hungary. It started operations in 1999 after securing the third GSM 900/1800 MHz licence of the country and it was the first provider operating in the DCS-1800 band in Hungary. Vodafone is the third largest mobile network operator of the country again. The operator had a share of ~27% of the market in Q2 2020. They controlled approx. 27% of the market in December 2019. Market share The full report about the number of subscribers is available on the company website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UPC Broadband</span> European telecommunications company

UPC Holding is a European telecommunications company owned by Liberty Global which provides cable television, broadband internet and fixed telephony in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teleclub</span>

Teleclub was a brand name of a premium television offering in Switzerland. Founded in 1982, it was one of the longest established providers of such in Europe. At present time the service is only available in Switzerland. The service is owned by Blue Entertainment AG, a fully owned subsidiary of telecommunication company Swisscom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UPC Netherlands</span>

UPC Nederland was the second largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunrise LLC</span> Swiss telecommunications company

Sunrise LLC, doing business as Sunrise, is a Swiss telecommunications provider based in Zurich, owned by Liberty Global. It provides mobile, TV and landline phone and internet services. Since February 2019, Sunrise headquarters are located at Thurgauerstrasse 101b, Glattpark Opfikon. Formerly a subsidiary of TDC A/S, Sunrise had been owned by CVC Capital Partners until 2015. In February 2015, CVC realised an IPO on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Since then, Sunrise stocks are publicly traded at the Swiss Stock Exchange. In August 2020, Liberty Global announced that it will be acquiring Sunrise for $7.4 billion. The transaction was completed on November 11, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziggo</span> Dutch cable operator

Ziggo Holding B.V. is the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing digital cable television, Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.

Optimum is an American telecommunications brand owned and operated by Altice USA. It is the fourth largest cable provider in the United States and a Fortune 500 company. Optimum offers Internet, television, mobile and home phone serving in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Long Island and New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.

References

  1. 1 2 Excerpt from the Canton of Zurich Commercial Registry
  2. 1 2 About Us
  3. ↑ Nillson, Patricia; Fildes, Nic (2020-08-12). "Liberty Global to buy Sunrise in $7.4bn Swiss telecoms deal". Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  4. ↑ Ago, 6 Days (2022-05-19). "Sunrise UPC makes Sunrise its principal brand". Digital TV Europe. Retrieved 2022-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 Company History
  6. ↑ "Cablecom ändert Name und bündelt Angebote". Swiss IT Reseller (in German). 2011-03-21. Archived from the original on 2011-03-25. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  7. ↑ Briel, Robert (2013-01-12). "UPC Cablecom launches Horizon in Switzerland". Broadband TV News. Archived from the original on 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  8. ↑ Krieger, Jörn (2015-12-01). "Liberty Global unifies Austrian and Swiss cable brands". Broadband TV News. Archived from the original on 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  9. ↑ "UPC Cablecom rebrands to UPC". TeleGeography. 2016-05-26. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  10. ↑ "Liberty Global to sell UPC Austria to T-Mobile". CommsUpdate. 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  11. ↑ "EC greenlights T-Mobile acquisition of UPC Austria". Telecompaper. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  12. ↑ Press release: Severina Pascu to become CEO of UPC Switzerland
  13. ↑ "Liberty confirms end to UPC/Sunrise merger talks". CommsUpdate. TeleGeography. 18 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Sunrise to retire UPC brand". TeleGeography. 2022-05-20. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  15. 1 2 Q2 2019 results
  16. ↑ Digital TV in Switzerland
  17. ↑ Happy Home
  18. ↑ Q2 Facts and Figures Infographic
  19. ↑ About MySports One
  20. ↑ About MySports Go
  21. ↑ MyPrime & On Demand
  22. ↑ Basic digital offer
  23. ↑ UPC opts for Swisscom’s mobile network In: Broadband TV News
  24. ↑ UPC Business
  25. ↑ UPC bundles
  26. ↑ SRF article (German)
  27. ↑ UPC: Our network
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.