Phone, Internet, TV

  • Find out how to stay connected with the rest of the world

  • This will take you 1 - 6 weeks

  • Required documents:

    • Passport / Identification card

    • Swiss residency permit (exceptions apply)


Once you've found your home in Switzerland, you’ll probably want to set up internet, phone and television.

Setup time frames vary depending on your selected provider and the existing wire connections to your residence. Be aware that activating new customers often takes up to six weeks, so it is highly advisable to apply for telecommunications services once you know the address of your new home.

Exclusively available through Swissify, Swisscom provides special fast-track activation services to new customers moving to Switzerland. With this special relocation offer, your telecommunications (choose from internet, telephone and television) can be up and running within just a couple of days of taking over your new home

Radio-Television License Fee

  • It is mandatory for all households to pay a radio-television license fee which costs CHF 365 per year at the time of writing.

  • This fee is device-independent, meaning it is owed even if you do not have a television or a radio!

  • This licensing fee is paid separately from any telecoms bills. Following your registration at the municipality, you will receive a bill for this mandatory charge from a company called Serafe.

Connecting to the internet in Switzerland

  • The speed of your internet at home will determine its cost.

  • Nowadays, most properties have a fiber socket. Please have the fiber socket number at hand when ordering telecommunications service.

  • Many restaurants, cafes and other public locations in Switzerland offer free Wi-Fi.

Television in Switzerland

  • Most apartment buildings have basic cable TV by UPC included in their rates. This will provide a standard range of around 30 non-HD channels, in various languages.

  • Most tenants decide to connect an additional TV package from another provider, to receive a better selection of channels and higher quality screen resolution.

  • If you want to install a satellite dish, you need permission from the renting agency or landlord and you must cover installation and removal costs yourself.

  • If you choose a digital TV provider such as Swisscom or Sunrise, ask your landlord to block the cable connection. Otherwise, you will be charged around CHF 40 per month for this connection in your ancillary building costs, even if you don’t use it. Note that this hidden cost can make cable TV options such as UPC look cheaper compared to digital TV providers, because it’s charged separately.

Fixed phone line at home

  • When taking over an apartment, the previous tenant's name is needed in order to connect your new phone line.

  • If the connection was terminated six months before the apartment was vacated, there was no previous connection, or the building is new, an authorised contractor must carry out the installation work.

Mobile phone / Swiss SIM card

  • The plans in Switzerland are either prepaid, or monthly contract.

  • You are obliged to identify yourself upon the receipt of the SIM card, e.g. when you buy this in a shop or when you receive the SIM by the postman.

Pre-paid: Shops, supermarkets and kiosks sell prepaid mobile cards and affordable international calling cards. 

Monthly contract: Flat-rate contracts are the norm, including talk time, SMS messages, and internet/data.

To receive a Swiss SIM card documents will be required (applies to both prepaid and monthly):

  • Passport

  • Residence permit (exceptions apply)

Special activation terms for newcomers at Swisscom

  • Swisscom boasts excellent network coverage all over Switzerland, including areas where other mobile operators have a gap.

  • They offer flexible plans and many options for roaming, international calling plans and data.

  • Newcomers to Switzerland enjoy simplified activation conditions at Swisscom through the Hello Switzerland service.

Get connected the easy way

You can benefit from simplified activation conditions for Swisscom by contacting Swissify. Special conditions include fast-track activation of your home telecoms (so you don’t wait weeks for your internet) and special flexibility when activating a mobile phone.

Request support with Telecoms & TV