HEV Schweiz and Swisscom agree on further development agreements for optical fibre technologies

Since 2015, a standardised Swisscom agreement has been used when new or existing buildings are connected with the "Fibre to the Home (FTTH)" technology. This governs rights and obligations of property owners and Swisscom. With FTTH, an optical fibre cable is drawn right into the apartment or business premises. Each unit is connected with four fibres. HEV Schweiz and Swisscom have now agreed to update the agreement, which in turn improves consideration of the needs of the owners.

At the same time, the development agreement for "Fibre to the Building (FTTB)" has been renegotiated. This means HEV Schweiz and Swisscom have now cleared the way for this new optical fibre technology. Unlike FTTH, where the cables are drawn directly into the home or business, with FTTB the optical fibre cable is drawn into the basement. The existing copper lines are then used from this point to the rest of the building.

Different sections were revised for both agreements, in order to take findings from the previous years into consideration while strengthening the rights of the owners. The adjustments govern the restoration obligations, access for technicians, the easement rights for cables, contract term, termination options and data protection.

In 2010, HEV Schweiz and Swisscom, together with the telecommunications sector, agreed on an FTTH development agreement for existing buildings during the expansion phase. In these cases, the owners did not incur any costs for connecting the buildings to the optical fibre network. This agreement is still in place.

HEV Schweiz and Swisscom are convinced that the existing agreement, which incorporates the sector agreement and the updated development agreement of Swisscom, is still appropriate for meeting the requirements of technological developments while providing added value for all involved parties.