Switzerland’s second- and third-largest mobile operators are expected to collaborate on building-out a shared LTE network, according to the local regulator. In an interview with Swiss newspaper Cash, Marc Furrer – president of regulator ComCom – said that second-placed operator Sunrise had agreed to the idea, while third-placed Orange Switzerland is still considering the proposal. Furrer said building an LTE network would cost “three-figure millions of francs,” which would not present a problem for the country’s market-leader Swisscom, but would require collaboration between the two smaller operators. He added that cooperation between Sunrise and Orange could also lead to a merger of their current mobile networks as well as future LTE deployments.

According to Wireless Intelligence data, Swisscom dominates the Swiss mobile market with an estimated 62 percent market share (5.5 million connections) in 2Q09. Sunrise is second on 1.9 million (a 21 percent market share) and Orange is third on 1.6 million (18 percent). Many mobile operators in Europe are believed to be looking at joint investments in LTE in order to save costs as they migrate to the next-generation mobile technology. In April, Tele2 Sweden and Telenor Sweden – the country’s second- and third-largest operators, respectively – announced plans to jointly build a nationwide LTE network and share spectrum for its deployment. The deal is a 50/50 joint venture between the two operators.