The Swiss government proposed on Friday increasing the minimum internet speeds by a factor of eight.

At present Swisscom has the concession to provide basic service, which runs until the end of next year.

The government noted that increased working from home and homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic had made clear how important reliable and powerful broadband services are for all sections of the population in all regions.

From 2024, an internet connection with a download speed of 80 Mbit/s and upload speed of 8 Mbit/s will replace the current standard of 10 and 1 Mbit/s, it suggested when putting the proposal out for public comment which runs until March.

Swisscom has been battling regulators in court over which standards it needs to use in rolling out fibre-optic broadband service.