UPC Cablecom
UPC Cablecom (proper spelling " upc Cablecom " ) with more than 2 million customers of the largest cable network operator in Switzerland and was founded in 1994 by the merger of several cable companies. UPC Cablecom is since 2005 a subsidiary of Liberty Global.
- 4.1 Combination deals
- 4.2 Television and radio
- 4.3 Internet
- 4.4 telephony
Products
Digital TV and Radio
UPC Cablecom distributed digital TV and radio stations. In November 2012 UPC Cablecom picked up the basic encryption of the basic TV offering 55 digital TV and 100 radio stations. At the same time a free internet service with a download speed of 2 Mbit / s has been introduced. Despite the digitization TV and 34 radio stations are broadcast in analogue on the cable network of UPC Cablecom depending on the region of at least 36. The Federal Council has created a must-carry list and analogue channels in the framework of the Federal Law on Radio and Television. This includes the Federal certain channels, which must be distributed similarly throughout Switzerland by UPC Cablecom and other cable network operators. To this end, in addition to the seven SRG include the first public programs of neighboring countries (ARD, ORF 1, Rai Uno and France 2 ) and Arte, 3sat, TV5 Monde and Euro News in the language of the dissemination region. By lifting the basic encryption free choice of the terminal device (TV, receiver, recorder, DigiCard ) has become possible. For the use of the digital basic service, an active cable connection, an antenna cable and a TV with an integrated DVB -C receiver or a converter for older devices is needed. To receive additional offers via digital cable network, it needs a receiver - either a set top box ( recorder / receiver) or a smart card. With the entertainment platform Horizon ( TV, internet and telephony on a device since 2013) has in addition to the HDTV and Video on Demand offer the ability to record up to four shows at once and pause live broadcasts and TV content via iPhone, iPad and computer stream. The smart card enables digital TV without an additional receiver. Prerequisite for the use of such smart card is a CI - enabled TV. The digital TV offering includes three products. The three transmitters packages glad Compact, Classic and Comfort. Compact stands for the lowest channel package and includes more than 80 stations, including 40 in HD, including video on demand with more than 2000 films, series and concerts, as well as a replay function (free SRF video portal, MTV series and Nickelodeon ). The Classic includes more than 130 TV channels and more than 175 Comfort channels. The number of TV customers in the digital domain is 1'416'400 (December 31, 2013).
Internet
UPC Cablecom offers a broadband Internet connection via its cable network. The company has in this area over 663'800 customers (December 31, 2013). The cable network consists of 95% glass fibers and 5% of coaxial cable, known as Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC ). The distribution of the Internet service running with the transmission standard DOCSIS 3.0.
Since November 2012, the UPC Cablecom cable connection also includes an Internet connection of 2Mbit / s
Telephony
Landline
Since July 2003, there is a telephony offer at UPC Cablecom. It calls 458'500 customers (December 31, 2013) through their cable.
Mobile offer
At the end of 2010, the mobile range of UPC Cablecom has been set. In June 2011, UPC Cablecom entered into an MVNO agreement ( mobile virtual network operator) from with orange, to keep yourself open to the customer to offer products in the mobile sector in the future.
Business Customers
UPC Cablecom business since 1999 offers communication solutions for enterprises. Currently this line of business has more than 9,000 customers (December 31, 2013), consisting of small and medium-sized enterprises, cantonal banks, hospitals, public administrations, etc.
History
In the 1930s created the first cable operator who transported several radio programs via cable in the households. One of these cable providers was the Rediffusion SA was created in 1931, which used radio broadcasts by wire broadcast. From the late 1950s transferred the Rediffusion SA from Uetliberg from first television programs in black and white. In 1994, out of Rediffusion S. A. and other independent cable companies, the company Cablecom, which belonged to the company Siemens, VEBA and Swisscom.
Cablecom built in 1998 the Internet Service Provider Swiss Online. In the following years, the cable network operator continued to grow, by buying cable companies (eg Balcab and Sitel ). Through these acquisitions Cablecom expanded its network in large parts of Switzerland. In 2000, the previous owners Cablecom sold to the British-American NTL at a price of 5.8 billion Swiss francs. In subsequent years, the operations could be sustainably improved. After financial difficulties of NTL this Cablecom sold in 2003 to a group of banks and private investors.
In mid-October 2005, the owners of Cablecom planned the IPO. After Liberty Global Europe, a 100 percent subsidiary of Liberty Global, on 30 September 2005 Cablecom had bought for 2.8 billion, the IPO was canceled. In the following years, Cablecom invested in network expansion. In 2007 the company launched a high definition television (HDTV). Two years later, Cablecom, a first combination deals ( package with Internet, telephony and television). In 2010, Cablecom launched the DigiCard, which allowed the customer digital watch TV without having to connect an additional device to the TV. Since early 2011, Cablecom Video on Demand offers with 3D content.
In April 2011, Cablecom was renamed UPC Cablecom. By rebranding a new logo was launched instead of the red wrench.
On January 14, 2013 UPC introduced the Set-Top Box Horizon. In this system there is a set-top box for digital and HD TV, combined with an Internet router with wireless, IP telephony and a hard disk recorder.
Competition
Combination deals
The strongest competitor of UPC Cablecom, Swisscom. In UPC Cablecom exist such bundles of TV, Internet, and telephony services. Similar offers are available at Swisscom and Sunrise since December 2011.
TV and Radio
UPC Cablecom just under 1.5 million TV customers, Swisscom, with around 1 million ( as of December 31, 2013).
Internet
The maximum speed of Internet connections, Swisscom, as well as by Sunrise is currently at 20 Mbit / s (VDSL ) or 100Mbit / s ( FTTH). The maximum downstream speed offered for private clients in the network of UPC Cablecom is 250 Mbit / s at 15 Mbit / s upstream ( as of December 31, 2013), or 500 Mbit / s in the region of Bern.
Telephony
Sunrise and Swisscom offer subscriptions in the fixed network, as well as in mobile telephony. UPC Cablecom has only products in the fixed network. All vendors have special rates, varying depending on the type of subscription.