Handbook for Investors. Business location in Switzerland.

CHF 1.60 per thousand liters in Switzerland. At a daily cost of
CHF 0.26 per person, the cost is just under CHF 0.80 per day for
a three-person household. Ground water from wells and springs
accounts for 80 % of consumption, and the rest comes primarily
from lakes.
Drinking water
31 out of every 100 Swiss residents access the Internet through
broadband connections (as of December 2007). Switzerland
therefore ranks above average for OECD countries and is among
the leading countries in this regard. The expansion of the «Fiber
to the Home» (FTTH) communication network, which is being
connected to every business establishment and multi-family or
single-family residence by fiber-optic cable, is currently underway
throughout Switzerland.
www.trinkwasser.ch
Languages: German, French, Italian
11.3.2 Waste water disposal and water pollution control
Switzerland’s role as the «moated castle of Europe» means that
Switzerland is obligated to make special efforts in the area of
water pollution control. Purification of waste water is a necessary
requirement for maintaining and preserving water ecosystems
over the long term. Thanks to modern waste water purification
technology, there is no health risk associated with swimming
in Switzerland’s many lakes and rivers. The waste water from
households, industry, business and agriculture is piped to purification
systems through sewage pipes totaling 40,000 km to
50,000 km in length (about 25,000 to 31,000 miles). Today 97 %
of all Swiss households are connected to one of the country’s
900 waste water treatment plants.
11.4 Communication.
The social and economic significance of information and communication
technologies (ICT) is growing rapidly. In Switzerland
approximately 77 % of households are equipped with computers.
The high degree of dissemination of information and communication
technologies in Swiss households is a good foundation for
further development of private e-commerce.
Fig. 53: Internet subscribers, 2007
Subscribers to high-speed Internet connections per
100 inhabitants
Denmark 35.1
Netherlands 34.8
Norway 31.2
Switzerland 31.0
Finland 30.7
Korea 30.5
Sweden 30.3
Canada 26.6
UK 25.8
Belgium 25.7
France 24.6
Germany 23.8
United States 23.3
Japan 22.1
OECD 20.0
Austria 19.6
Ireland 18.1
Spain 18.0
Italy 17.2
Portugal 14.4
Source: OECD
Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
DSL
Cable modem
Fiber-optic cable/LAN
Other high-speed
connections
In 2006 Switzerland recorded the highest ICT expenditure – EUR
2,763 per inhabitant – followed by Sweden, Denmark and Japan.
Information technologies accounted for 56 % of total ICT expenditure
in Switzerland, while communication technologies accounted
for 44 %. In 2006 ICT expenditure totaled about 6.64 % of the
gross domestic product (GDP). This puts Switzerland in third
place behind Japan and Sweden.
www.bakom.ch
Languages: German, English, French, Italian
Handbook for Investors 2010
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