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SWISSCOM

Mobile operator Sunrise to cut up to 175 jobs

Switzerland’s second largest mobile operator, Sunrise Communications, is cutting up to 175 jobs — almost ten percent of its staff — as part of a plan to streamline operations and reduce costs.

Mobile operator Sunrise to cut up to 175 jobs
Photo: Sunrise Communications

The Zurich-based company, partially owned by UK-based private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, said on Tuesday the plan involves merging its business and residential units to improve efficiency and to “avoid duplications”.

The reorganization will cut Sunrise’s headcount by up to 175 (up to 165 full-time equivalents) out of a total of 1,890 FTEs, the company said in a news release.

Sunrise, which launched shares on the Swiss stock exchange in February, has put in place a redundancy scheme for affected employees after talks with employee representatives and the syndicom trade union.

The streamlining will not impact customer service or sales staff in stores, it said.

The company said the change would be implemented by the end of the third quarter this year with one-off charges of 21 million francs until the end of this year.

It expects to save 5.5 million francs per quarter starting in the fourth quarter of this year.

Sunrise had a 26.9 percent market share of the Swiss mobile market as of March 2015, behind Swisscom (54.9 percent) and ahead of Salt (18.2 percent).

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INTERNET

Swisscom to start charging 2.90 francs for paper bills

Swiss telecommunications giant Swisscom is set to introduce new fees for customers who wish to receive a simple, non-itemized hard copy of their latest bill.

Swisscom to start charging 2.90 francs for paper bills
Swisscom has justified the new charges by saying they are standard industry practice. Photo: AFP

Until now, customers have been able to receive one of these basic bills for free, but as of October 1st, a fee of 2.90 Swiss francs (around €2.60) will apply.

At the same time, the current fee of 1.50 francs for receipt of a detailed bill will rise to 2.90 francs.

Tell us: What is the best mobile phone deal in Switzerland for foreigners?

Meanwhile, people wishing to pay their bills over the counter at a post office will have to shell out 3.90 francs as of October 1st.

Customers affected by the changes will be notified on all their bills before the new charges come in.

Holders of basic service products including Swisscom Line Basic and Swisscom Internet Basic will be exempt from the new charges.

In a statement on the new fees on its website, Swisscom said that printed bills cost the company millions every year and that these costs should not be passed on to all customers.

The same applied to costs associated with over-the-counter services at post offices, the company said.

Swisscom also justified the changes by stating these were now standard industry practice.

Rival provider UPC charges 3 francs for sending out paper bills and up to 7.50 francs for paying bills at the post office. Salt charges 2 francs a month for sending out basic bills and 5 francs a month for detailed bills. Salt also charges 3.95 francs to customers who want to pay their bills at the post office.

For Sunrise, paper bills cost 3 francs for the basic version and 4 francs for a detailed version. Payment with a so-called red slip costs 5 francs whether this is done online or in a post office.

Read also: SBB launches free internet trial on long-distance trains

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