Activity Report - Swisscom

Bluewin: Access customers *
In thousands
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
* At December 31
00 01 02
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber
Line)
A broadband technology which uses
the existing telephone line to provide
data network access. An ADSL modem
separates voice and data, making it
possible to surf the Internet and use
the telephone at the same time. The
transmission speed varies depending
on the service level. At a speed of 256
kbit/s, even the lowest ADSL level is
some five times faster than a conventional
56k analog modem.
Broadband
The same medium is used for several
transmission channels. In the case of
ADSL, the medium is the copper line.
21
An overview of 2002
Swisscom Fixnet
Swisscom Mobile
Enterprise Solutions
debitel
Other business areas
Employees
Customers
The community
The environment
Investors
Customer segmentation underwent further refinement in 2002. SME
customers were offered the first bundled services tailored to their individual
needs. Since the restructuring in 2002 the Direct Marketing Center
(DMC), which is responsible among other things for winning back
customers, has been operating with MediaLine Interactive Solutions AG
as the outsourcing partner. The move was aimed at improving identification
of customer needs. The results speak for themselves: the number
of customers returning to Swisscom rose sharply compared with
the previous year.
Bluewin expands its leading position
Swisscom is looking to build up its broadband business. On January 1,
2002, with a view to leveraging synergies and enabling more targeted
market development, Bluewin AG was assigned to Swisscom Fixnet and
Swisscom Fixnet’s holding was increased to 100 percent following the
withdrawal of TA Internet Holding AG. Increasing its active access customers
by around 126,000 to 860,000, Bluewin consolidated its position
in 2002 as Switzerland’s leading Internet service provider. Bluewin customers
clocked up some 5.8 billion minutes (+0.3 percent), while the
number of pageviews rose to 1,133 million. The market success of the
“
blue winner” lies in the company’s diverse product range, attractive
new services and first-rate customer service. Since the summer of 2002
the www.bluewin.ch portal has acquired a new, user-friendly layout
and an improved range of shopping services. Bluewin continued to expand
its range of Internet services, the most important additions being
SMS messaging, a homepage tool, and virus and spam filters. A core
element of its existing and future service offerings is ADSL for highspeed
Internet access, and the associated services. From 2003 new services
will be offered that will cover customers’ needs even better: for