Network Access

Switzerland’s advanced and robust network infrastructure has placed it not only in the top tier countries in the EU but in the entire world. The telecommunication companies have shown they are dedicated by increasing bandwidth and capability as well as roll out new residential fiber networks all while keeping the cost of service in check and affordable for both residential and business services. Also mobile broadband is seeing a rise in use and is just another mode of providing access to the Internet for its residents. For  Internet access, affordability, quality and speed Switzerland is among the best countries and if they continue to improve and expand on this as they have shown they will remain at or near the top.

Network Learning

Despite Switzerland being a relatively small country, it happens to be very advanced and houses one of the top universities in Europe” EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) School of Computer Science and Communication systems” with specializes in computer and robotics.

Since Switzerland has no natural resources, education and knowledge have become very important resources. Therefore Switzerland claims to have one of the world's best education systems.

The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden, where it is five years and three months. After primary schools, the pupils split up according their abilities and intentions of career paths. Roughly 20% of all students attend secondary schools leading, normally after 12 school years in total to the federal recognized matura which grants access to all universities. The other students split in two or more school-types (depends on the canton) differing in the balance of theoretical and practical education. It is obligatory for all children to visit school for at least 9 years.

Switzerland is well on its way to a Stage 4 in granting access to ICT for its schools and the government is making strides to get its indigenes to that level by embarking on several projects to streamline access to Information Technology and bring its students up to speed with other highly developed countries like the United States.

Network Society

Switzerland culture revolves around technology. Close to 80% of the population uses the internet on a daily basis and though the rise of mobile technology, that number is only rising. Because of its highly integrated society; Switzerland is quick to keep up with major infrastructure trends in the technology field. Switzerland has been ranked in the top five in the networked readiness index for the past five years because of their ability to adapt to change and evolve though innovation. Technology training and education is prevalent throughout the country and culture. The IT sector in Switzerland plays a vital role in the Swiss economy and for that reason the Swiss government has established IT specific higher learning organization to facilitate growth and innovation.

Network Economy

Networked Economy is separated into 4 different sections. The first section is ICT Employment Opportunities. IT job opportunities in Switzerland are growing, but local IT graduates are not qualified for most companies’ high demands of employing people with specialty skills. Switzerland also has strict work authorization laws which make it difficult for people outside of the country to obtain employment here. This section is at stage 4.

The second section is Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Electronic Commerce. The B2c e-commerce in Switzerland is growing in every sector. According to www.swissinfo.ch, the average e-commerce growth over the last 5 years has been around 25 percent. The government supports both the businesses and consumers by informing all parties of how safe and secure online services can be. This section is at stage 4.

The third section is Business-to-Business (B2B) Electronic Commerce. Specific sectors are growing where companies have increased the use of electronic data interchange for order processing and fulfillment, invoicing, and payments. Switzerland works together with a specific group of friendly countries and utilizes them as a trading partner. This section is at stage 3.

The fourth section is E-Government. A recent study completed by the Waseda University, ranked Switzerland e-Government 20 out of 40 surveyed countries. Switzerland ranked 11th out of all European countries on this survey. Switzerland ranked 2nd overall in network preparedness section of this survey. This section is at stage 3. Switzerland is the 3rd most networked economy in the world, according to the Global Information Technology Report distributed by the World Economic Forum. They have a highly developed infrastructure that can accommodate all local companies’ network needs.

Network Policy

The coverage of teleservice infrastructure, the supply of specific content, and the small regional difference in internet use show that the Swiss policy instruments have reached some of their targets. New challenges, such as broadband access in mountain regions as part of the provision of basic public services are, however, emerging. Furthermore, the widening gap between young and old, men and women, and poorly and highly educated persons concerning internet use and the consequent unequal increase of knowledge will remain a major concern for Switzerland. “In industrialised countries and especially developing countries, there is a pressing need to address the persistent exclusion of people, in some geographical areas and social groups, who are marginalized with regard to access to ICTs and the knowledge and skills to use them (i.e. the ‘digital divide’)