Kurer calls for Swisscom privatization

Swisscom still has market shares of between 60 and 80 percent today, which leads to dominance and abuses, Kurer said in an interview with the newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag. This is not optimal in a liberal country and should be corrected, says Kurer, who has been chairman of the board of Switzerland's second-largest telecom provider since spring. What is needed are good framework conditions and a level playing field for everyone. The upcoming revision of the Telecommunications Act offers an opportunity to improve the competitive situation, he said. "In particular, regulation should be extended to the last mile of fiber optics - today, only the copper cable is regulated," said Kurer.

Kurer: No sellout

The fact that a privatized Swisscom would run the risk of being taken over by a foreign group is not a convincing argument against privatizing the "blue giant," he said. "People always warn about the example of Austria, but there it was about a poorly managed company," Kurer said. Swisscom is agile and well managed, he said. Its market capitalization would remain high even without a federal majority. "There would be no need to fear a sell-off," Kurer said. Last week, the media and communications union Syndicom published a survey by the opinion research institute GFS, according to which a privatization of Swisscom would have no chance at the ballot box at the present time. Regardless of age and political views, most respondents would prefer the status quo. The Swiss government holds a majority of 51 percent in Swisscom. (SDA)