Detailed SWOT Analysis of Swisscom – A Major Telecommunications Provider In Switzerland

Updated on: Feb 24, 2022
SWOT Analysis of Swisscom - Featured Image

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In our previous blog, we did a comprehensive study on the SWOT Analysis of the largest broadband communication company in the United States, Spectrum. Here we will understand the SWOT Analysis of Swisscom.

Swisscom is a leading telecommunications company in Switzerland with the Swiss government having a majority of its shares and it is also the parent company of an Italian subsidiary called Fastweb. Founded in 1997, Swisscom has its roots dating back to 1852 giving them enough experience in technological advances, new standards, trends and being environmentally friendly. 

Swisscom offers fixed and mobile telephone services, broadband internet access and wireless telecommunications services. These are very useful in today’s world where much is happening online, especially in marketing. If you are anxious about learning what digital marketing is and how to use it to your advantage – check out our Free MasterClass on Digital Marketing 101 by the CEO and Founder of IIDE, Karan Shah.

In this case study, we will learn about the SWOT analysis of Swisscom. But first, let us know about the company and the product better.

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About Swisscom

SWOT Analysis of Swisscom- Swisscom

Swisscom is Switzerland’s number one firm for communications, IT and entertainment. It is one of the most innovative and sustainable companies in Switzerland. It manufactures and sells network infrastructures and services for the telecommunications, IT, broadcast, media and entertainment industries.

Swisscom built a telegraph network in Switzerland in 1852, the telephone took off in 1912, and space communications were invented in 1966. In 1992, the mobile phone network was digitized under the name NATEL D. In 1993,  the first digital telecommunications network was introduced by Telecom PTT which became Swisscom on 1 October 1997.

On 5 October 1998, Swisscom was moved to the stock exchange. In 2007, Swisscom entered the TV industry and, by 2012 end, it led the digital TV market with 791,000 subscribers. From 2009, Swisscom pushed forward with the growth of the fibre-optic system in Switzerland.

Quick Stats on Swisscom
Founder Swiss Government
Year Founded 1997
Origin Switzerland
No. of Employees 19,000+
Company Type Public
Market Cap $30.82 Billion (2022)
Annual Revenue CHF 11.100 Billion (2020)
Net Income/ Profit CHF 1.528 Billion (2020)

 

SWOT Analysis of Swisscom - swisscom using anyline technology


Products & Services by Swisscom

Swisscom has been active in the telecommunications industry for a long time and offers the following products and services:

  • Fixed telephony
  • Broadband
  • Digital TV
  • Mobile


Competitors of Swisscom

Swisscom Canada is one of the largest communications companies in Switzerland and below are the top 4 competitors of Swisscom:

  • Sunrise UPC
  • Salt
  • Quickline 
  • ISPs


Now, we have a clear picture of the company’s core business. Let’s talk about the SWOT Analysis of Swisscom.


SWOT Analysis of Swisscom 

SWOT analysis examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that a firm faces. SWOT Analysis is a tried-and-true tool that enables a company like Swisscom to compare its business and performance to that of its competitors.

It will give us a strategic analysis of its internal and external environment, which is crucial for understanding the SWOT Analysis of Swisscom.

To better understand the SWOT analysis of Swisscom, refer to the infographics below:

SWOT Analysis of Swisscom - SWOT Infographics of Swisscom

Below is an explicit guide to the SWOT analysis of Swisscom.

Strengths of Swisscom

Swisscom, being one of the leading companies in its industry, has several benefits that help it flourish in the marketplace. These strengths not only help it retain market share in existing areas but also help it break into new ones.

  • Wide Spread Distribution Network: Swisscom has created a reliable distribution network over its 24 years of journey that allows it to reach the majority of its potential market through innovation.
  • Leading Market Position: Swisscom holds a leading market position because of its inception as the sole provider of telephone service in Switzerland. Since its inception the growth enabled the company to create a new revenue stream and diversify the economic cycle risk in the markets it serves, propelling Swisscom to the top of the Switzerland market.
  • Highly Qualified Workforce: Through training and learning initiatives, Swisscom has been able to develop a highly qualified staff. Swisscom devotes significant resources to employee training and development, resulting in a team that is not just highly competent but also driven to attain greater success.
  • Good Capital Expenditure Returns: Swisscom has a solid track record of completing new projects and generating good returns on capital expenditure by establishing new revenue sources.
  • Customer Satisfaction is Just High: Swisscom has been able to achieve high customer satisfaction among current customers and strong brand equity among potential customers due to its dedicated customer relationship management department.


Weaknesses of Swisscom

Swisscom’s weakness is an area where he can improve. Strategy is about making important decisions, and weaknesses are areas where a company could improve with the help of a SWOT analysis.

  • Moderate Success Beyond its Core Business: Even though Swisscom is one of the leading organizations in its industry it has faced challenges in moving to other product segments with its present culture.
  • High Prices for Small Plans: Swisscom struggles when it comes to the pricing of its budgeted devices. Its pricing seems to fall slightly on a higher side in small data plans ranging between 1 – 5 GB.  Swisscom’s competitors seemed to have an upper hand when it comes to small budgeted plans.
  • Competition with Brands Affecting the Market: Although Swisscom has a unique marketing strategy the new brands and other existing brands are also coming up with new strategies. But to maintain the position of best telecom services they need constant advertising, improvement in their products and this causes the majority of the expenses of the brand.
  • Reliance on Switzerland Market for Major Revenue: As Swisscom has its main headquarters in Switzerland and it is providing the services more efficiently and gets major revenue from Switzerland. It is mostly dependent on the Switzerland market and hence lacks revenue from worldwide.
  • Limited International Presence: Swisscom currently operates in only eight markets around the world. It should consider operating in other countries, to expand its business and create strong brand recognition and awareness in the market.
  •  


Opportunities for Swisscom

Opportunities are possible areas for a company to consider to improve results, sales, and, ultimately, profit. Swisscom includes the following opportunities:

  • Internet Users: According to Statista.com, there are over 4.66 billion active internet users in the world. Swisscom has a huge opportunity to increase its customer base by providing affordable data plans. 
  • New Environmental Policies: The new opportunities will open doors to a level playing field for all the players in the industry. It provides a good opportunity for Swisscom to drive the advantage home buying new technology and gain market share for new product categories. Also to sustain the potential customers as well as loyal ones.
  • Stable Free Cash Flow: The stable cash flow provides opportunities to invest in adjacent products. Hence when more cash is with the company can think of some new technologies and product segments to increase the market share. 
  • Technological Advancements: The new technology provides an opportunity for Swisscom to practice a differentiated pricing strategy in the new market. It enables the firm to maintain its loyal customers with great service and lure new customers through other value oriented propositions.
  • Improvement in the Customers: These days we see a very dynamic lifestyle of the people and hence lifestyle and standards mean more consumption of the products and services, and in turn more opportunities to encourage the purchase. This will eventually increase the market share of Swisscom.


Threats to Swisscom

External environmental factors that can harm a Swisscom’s growth are known as threats. Swisscom’s threats include the following:

  • Strong Rivalry from other Communication Providers: There is a lot of competition in the industry these days. This affects prices, resulting in a drop in revenue or income for Swisscom.
  • Threat from Local Distributors: Growing strengths of local distributors also presents a threat in some markets as the competition is paying higher margins to the local distributors.
  • Labour Dispute: Swisscom has been caught in disputes with its labour and the union also went on strike against the company in the year 2005. The company should look after its employees, if not then it can affect the operations of the company.


This ends our detailed SWOT analysis of Swisscom. Let us conclude our learning below.

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To Conclude

Swisscom is a well-established telecommunications company with a good number of subsidiaries. In the SWOT analysis of Swisscom, we came to know about their strengths as well as their weak points. The company has a good brand profile as well as manages its consumer base quite effectively. But, suffers from some finance management issues that need to be addressed soon.

One of their greatest opportunities is that they are moving more and more towards the online mode. Which is a necessity in today’s scenario. To stand in the market and to expand globally one needs to focus more on the online part.

Hence, improving marketing skills is very paramount for digital marketing enthusiasts. If you are intrigued with the above piece of information in learning more and upskilling, check out the 3 Months Advanced Digital Marketing Course by IIDE to know more.

We hope this blog on the SWOT Analysis of Swisscom has given you a good insight into the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

If you enjoy in-depth company research just like the SWOT analysis of Swisscom, check out our IIDE Knowledge portal for more fascinating case studies.

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Aditya Shastri

Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Leads the Learning & Development segment at IIDE. He is a Content Marketing Expert and has trained 6000+ students and working professionals on various topics of Digital Marketing. He has been a guest speaker at prominent colleges in India including IIMs......[Read full bio]

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