Swiss Frequency Allocation 2027: Why Sunrise and Salt Fear for Their Existence
In early 2027, the federal government will reallocate mobile frequencies. What sounds technical is politically explosive: Sunrise and Salt are publicly warning that the planned auction rules could make Swisscom even more powerful – at the expense of competition. As a mobile customer, what's at stake is your prices, network quality, and how much choice you'll have in the future.
What's at Stake in the 2027 Frequency Allocation
Frequencies are the foundation of every mobile network. Without frequency licences, no provider can transmit calls, send data or operate 5G. The existing licences expire in 2027 – the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) will then reallocate the frequency bands, most likely through an auction.
Three providers are competing for these licences: Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt. The problem lies in the auction rules that OFCOM still needs to define. Who is allowed to bid for how many frequencies at what price will determine who can operate a competitive network in the coming years – and who cannot.
Why Sunrise and Salt Are Alarmed
According to a report by cash.ch, Sunrise and Salt fear that the auction rules could favour Swisscom. The state-owned company has significantly greater financial resources and could, in an open auction without caps, simply outbid the competition.
The result would be a concentration of frequencies at Swisscom: more bandwidth, better network coverage, superior 5G capacities. Sunrise and Salt would be left with less spectrum – which would directly affect their network quality and undermine their competitiveness in the long term.
These concerns are not unfounded. In other European countries, poorly designed frequency auctions have led to smaller providers having to give up or being taken over by larger ones. A consolidation from three to two providers – or even a single dominant player – is not a theoretical scenario.
The Core Question: How Should OFCOM Design the Auction?
OFCOM faces a classic regulatory dilemma. On one side are investment incentives: whoever pays a lot for frequencies has an incentive to use and expand the network intensively. On the other side is competition protection: if one provider buys up all the coveted frequencies, the market structure suffers.
Possible instruments OFCOM could use:
- Frequency caps: no single provider may hold more than a certain share of the spectrum.
- Reserved blocks: certain frequency bands are reserved exclusively for smaller providers.
- Coverage obligations: licence holders must guarantee minimum coverage in rural areas.
- Roaming obligations: smaller providers receive guaranteed network access from larger competitors.
Which combination OFCOM will choose remains open. The consultation is ongoing, and positions are entrenched.
What This Means for You as a Mobile Customer
The 2027 frequency allocation is not an abstract regulatory topic. It has direct implications for your everyday life.
Prices
Competition keeps prices low. The history of the Swiss mobile market shows this: when Salt (then Orange) entered the market in the 1990s, tariffs dropped noticeably. If a provider disappears today or is massively weakened, competitive pressure decreases. Swisscom would have less incentive to offer affordable tariffs – and Sunrise might have to compensate for losses through higher prices.
Network Quality
More frequency spectrum means more capacity. A provider with little spectrum struggles to deliver high data rates in densely populated areas. If Sunrise or Salt win significantly fewer frequencies than Swisscom, this is likely to result in slower connections and more network congestion – especially in cities.
Provider Diversity
Three competing network operators are the foundation for offerings such as affordable mobile tariffs from MVNOs and discount providers. Many of these providers rent network capacity from Sunrise or Salt. If these come under pressure, it can narrow the entire range of available offers.
The Timeline and Next Steps
The auction is planned for early 2027. OFCOM must define the allocation conditions by the end of 2026 at the latest. Until then, consultations are ongoing – all three providers are trying to influence the rules in their favour.
The political dimension is significant: the Federal Council has an interest in Switzerland maintaining a high-quality digital infrastructure. At the same time, Swisscom is majority state-owned – a conflict of interest that Sunrise and Salt openly address.
Conclusion: Watch, But Don't Act Yet
The 2027 frequency allocation is a process that is still developing. Switching providers today out of fear of network quality loss would be premature. The licences don't expire until 2027, and network changes would occur gradually thereafter.
What you can do now: check the value for money of your current mobile tariff. Regardless of the frequency auction, a regular mobile comparison is worthwhile – the market currently still offers strong competition with attractive deals.
We will continue to follow developments around the frequency allocation on zufriedenmit.ch and keep you informed as soon as OFCOM publishes concrete allocation conditions.
