Cellnex Telecom signs an agreement with HELIOT, the Swiss Sigfox Operator, to roll out the first global IoT network in Switzerland

• Cellnex Switzerland and HELIOT, the operator for the Sigfox technology in Switzerland, will roll out the first global IoT (Internet of Things) network based on ultra-narrow band (UNB) modulation in Switzerland using more than 350 sites.
• Cellnex has been operating in Switzerland since August 2017 when it acquired the company Swiss Towers AG and integrated the 2,839 sites that cover the entire Swiss territory into its portfolio of European telecommunications infrastructures.
• The Swiss IoT network will be the second rolled out by Cellnex in Europe in cooperation with Sigfox. In 2015 Cellnex rolled out the first IoT network in Spain, to which more than 1 million devices are connected daily.

Barcelona / Zurich, 5 March 2018. Cellnex Telecom and HELIOT, Sigfox’s operator in Switzerland, have signed an agreement to roll out the first global IoT (Internet of Things) network operated in Switzerland.

The roll-out of this IoT network will be performed over more than 350 Cellnex sites in Switzerland, with an initial expected coverage of 50% of the inhabitants, aiming to reach 90% in 2019..

HELIOT`s IoT network hosted by Cellnex is using Sigfox technology and as such stands out for its efficiency through ultra-low energy costs, enabling the viability of certain usage cases that were not feasible until now because of high implementation, operation or maintenance costs. It also stands out for its level of security and reliability in the face of potential inhibition or interference attempts.

Cellnex Telecom has been operating in Switzerland since August 2017, when it acquired Swiss Towers AG in consortium with Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners and Swiss Life Asset Managers. This acquisition allowed Cellnex to integrate the network of 2,839 sites (2,239 adquired + 200 DAS nodes and 400 built to suit) covering the entire Swiss territory into its European portfolio of telecommunication infrastructures.

The Swiss IoT network will be the second one rolled out by Cellnex on a Sigfox technology. Since 2015, the company has the first IoT-oriented network, which provides service throughout the Spanish territory, with a national coverage of 93% of the population through more than 1,500 sites. More than 1 million devices are already connected and use the IoT network of Cellnex in Spain on a daily basis, providing water telemetry, security, waste management or tracking services, among others.

Peter Seiler, Country Manager of Cellnex in Switzerland, has a very positive view of the agreement: “This is a significant step forward in the growth of the Cellnex project in Switzerland”, adding: “Switzerland did not have an global IoT network, therefore the roll-out of this UNB (Ultra Narrow Band) network will also contribute to generating new business opportunities for Swiss companies through connectivity services. We are happy to have found a reliable partner with HELIOT to make the roll-out and operation of this IoT network happen on our sites”.

Thomas Scheibel, CEO of HELIOT, is very pleased with this agreement, stating: „The speedy roll-out to make Sigfox available all over Switzerland has been possible with the ambitious and professional Cellnex team. Now, we see finally the possibility for Swiss businesses to enjoy the benefits of the UNB technology, providing international standards available all around Switzerland.“

This type of IoT network, based on the technology of the French operator Sigfox, has already been implemented successfully in 45 countries on five continents.

 About Cellnex Telecom

Cellnex is Europe’s leading neutral operator of wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructures with a total portfolio of more than 27,000 sites -including deployment forecasts until 2023-. The company is present and operates in 6 countries: Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Cellnex’s business is structured in four major areas: telecommunications infrastructure services; audiovisual broadcasting networks, security and emergency service networks and solutions for smart urban infrastructure and services management (smart cities and the “Internet of Things” (IoT)).

Cellnex is listed on the continuous market of the Spanish Stock Exchange and is part of the selective IBEX 35 and EuroStoxx 600 indexes. It is also part of the FTSE4GOOD and CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) sustainability indexes and has recently been included in the Standard Ethics index.

About HELIOT SA 

HELIOT SA has secured exclusive rights to deploy and operate Sigfox Network across Switzerland. Sigfox is the world’s leading Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity service. HELIOT has been created together by a team of Swiss entrepreneurs and SimpleCell, the Sigfox Operator in Czech Republic.
HELIOT is the prime resource for access to the global Sigfox network, as well as first port of call for all developers and IoT solutions providers to make sure not to miss out on this great technology.