BERN (WiMAX Day). The Swiss telecommunications operator Swisscom announced the successful launch this week of a field trial using the latest mobile WiMAX equipment based on the IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard. According to a Swisscom press release, the trial was launched in the village of Boltigen near Bern, and is scheduled to run until January 2008.

As the company previously announced in February, the participants in the trial include some 20 households. The office of the municipality of Boltigen is involved in the trial, and the local office of Swisscom itself is also a test customer.

The WiMAX base station and antenna for the trial are located above the village and are connected with the central operations of Swisscom in Reidenbach via a point-to-point WLAN connection, and that is connected to the Swisscom network by fibre optic links.

During the trial, Swisscom is working with several partners to ensure its success. This includes the Municipality of Boltigen; and SAB, the Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Berggebiete (Swiss Working Union for Mountain Regions).

The local partners have a vested interest in seeing the success of the WiMAX project as it brings broadband Internet into the region, with the possibility of more jobs. “A central aspect in today’s information society is the deployment of a high quality communications infrastructure also for rural and peripheral areas. With it we secure working places and reduce emigration into metropolitan areas,” said Thomas Egger, Director SAB.

Motorola is supplying Swisscom with a ULAP system consisting of one base-station, antennas and terminals. Installation of WiMAX terminals at the premises of the trial participants will be done by Swisscom engineers. The operation and evaluation of test results will be covered by network specialists until January 2008.

Swisscom is the leading provider of telecommunications services in Switzerland. It is the dominant provider of fixed and mobile communications, and the leading provider of DSL services.

For Swisscom, WiMAX presents an opportunity to comply with a Swiss government directive that broadband services must be included in the Universal Service Obligation (USO) beginning in 2008. The USO, which is technology neutral, is a European Community directive that ensures basic fixed line services are available to all citizens at an affordable price. Switzerland is the only country thus far that includes broadband access as part of USO.

Switzerland already has a broadband penetration rate of 98%, and if the WiMAX trials are successful, Swisscom may use WiMAX to close the gap and provide broadband to customers in Switzerland who presently do not receive such services.

By Gerhard Kafka. Gerhard is a freelance journalist for telecommunications working in Egling near Munich, Germany.