Telecom network operator Swisscom announced its investment to expand its advanced broadband network.

Swisscom has made investment in DSL+LTE bonding technology to use the fixed-line and mobile networks together to boost customer experience.

DSL+LTE bonding technology

The telecoms company has launched a pilot project targeting selected residential customers. The main benefits of DSL+LTE bonding technology is that it offers bandwidths of up to 20 Mbps in initial phase. Swisscom will also test higher broadband speed in later phases.

Since the volume of fixed network data is already doubling every 16 months, Swisscom does not want its customers to face challenges in the broadband market space. DSL+LTE bonding technology combines the bandwidths of fixed-line and mobile networks.

In addition, Swisscom has developed a LTE receiver that picks up the mobile data stream and passes it on via WLAN to the DSL router. The router is equipped with intelligent software that combines the mobile and fixed-line data streams.

The length of the copper fixed line and the 3G or 4G mobile coverage at the customer’s home will determine the availability of DSL+LTE bonding and the actual bandwidth. Swisscom aims to use the pilot test to determine whether a market launch is feasible.

Swisscom aims to provide around 85 percent of all homes and businesses with ultra-fast broadband by the end of 2020, and invested over CHF 1.75 billion in expanding its IT and network infrastructure in 2015.

Swisscom is using broadband technologies including vectoring, Fiber to the Street (FTTS), Fiber to the Building (FTTB) and Fiber to the Home (FTTH). FTTS and FTTB currently permit bandwidths of up to 100 Mbps – with speeds of up to 500 Mbps possible from the end of 2016 with the introduction of the new G.fast transmission standard.