Swiss carriers Salt and Sunrise sign MoU to share rural network infrastructure

Swiss telecom operators Salt and Sunrise have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the feasibility of sharing network infrastructure in rural and less densely populated areas of Switzerland, a move aimed at strengthening mobile connectivity coverage outside major urban centers.

The agreement is designed to assess a broader multioperator core network (MOCN) sharing model, under which selected antenna sites would be connected to both companies' core networks. This would allow customers of each operator to access parts of the other's mobile network, potentially expanding coverage without requiring each carrier to build out its own separate infrastructure in low-density regions.

According to the companies, the initiative is intended to "enable more efficient use of existing network infrastructure and more targeted investment in future network development, with greater financial efficiency than on a stand-alone basis." The study phase will examine operational, economic, legal, and regulatory considerations, and any definitive agreements will depend on the outcome of that assessment.

The collaboration builds on an existing partnership between Salt and Sunrise, which already cooperate at selected mobile sites across the country. Both operators emphasized that they will remain independent, retaining their own core networks, spectrum licenses, and commercial decision-making authority.

André Krause, CEO of Sunrise, said the partnership addresses a long-standing challenge in rural connectivity. "People in rural areas should benefit from the same outstanding network quality that's available in cities. However, network expansion and operation can't be delivered as efficiently where there are fewer users per site," he said. "We aim to change this through broader collaboration between Sunrise and Salt. Giving our customers access to more mobile sites results in an even wider network coverage and further increased quality of experience."

Max Nunziata, CEO of Salt, echoed that sentiment, noting that the proposed collaboration "offers an opportunity to further strengthen connectivity in rural areas, while future-proofing network infrastructure for rising demand. Coordinating the expansion of the mobile network with Sunrise could deliver tangible quality improvements for customers while both companies continue to compete independently in the market."

The move reflects a broader trend among European telecom operators toward infrastructure sharing as a cost-efficient strategy for extending coverage in sparsely populated regions, where standalone deployment is often economically unviable. By pooling resources, carriers can improve service quality while managing capital expenditure more effectively—an approach that is likely to gain further traction as data demand continues to rise.