Swiss cable operator UPC has decided to significantly expand its partner model.
By using third-party networks, the company plans to reach up to 200,000 additional homes outside its own footprint by the end of 2018. The first city to be addressed as part of this project will be Lausanne, where UPC will be offering its complete product portfolio for internet, television and telephony to customers from August 2017.
With more than two million connections, UPC currently provides its products for communication and entertainment to over 60% of Swiss homes. This takes place either via its own fibre optic cable network or through partnerships with local network operators.
Now, UPC is taking an important step towards becoming a truly national provider. “We will significantly increase our use of existing networks outside our own footprint, so that we can offer our popular services more widely in new regions,” said CEO Eric Tveter.
As the first region outside the UPC network, Lausanne, Switzerland’s fifth largest city, will receive access to UPC’s offers through the local fibre optic network, meaning that around 90,000 new homes will be reached.
Further regions outside the existing UPC network are to follow, according to the Liberty Global subsidiary.