Possible dismantling of mobile phone antennas

According to Swisscom, the contract negotiations with the Hünenberg municipal council regarding the mobile phone antennas have not led to an agreement. The reason for the termination by the Hünenberg council, which took place some time ago, was the desire to adjust the rent. There is now a threat that the antennas may be dismantled.

Swisscom fears that mobile phone coverage in Hünenberg could lose quality. The reason: as the landowner, the Hünenberg municipal council has terminated two locations for mobile phone antennas, as Swisscom informs. Specifically, these are the antenna in Hünenberg See by the Chämleten S-Bahn railway station above the Badiweg, and the one on the Zentrumstrasse in the village (by the Werkhof).

The council terminated the contract at the end of 2019 because it wanted to adjust the rental conditions. Swisscom subsequently sought talks with the municipality, and has since made two offers with updated rental conditions, explained media spokeswoman Sabrina Hubacher. The mobile operator has now been looking for a solution for a year and a half, but to no avail. As Sabrina Hubacher explains, the municipal council has transferred the mandate to negotiate the rental rate to the w-com Wireless Communications AG broker, a company from Zug, and does not wish to have any direct contact with Swisscom.

The mobile operator is "strongly interested" in continuing to supply the two sites, and is aiming for sustainable and partnership-based leases. "We met the landowner again at the beginning of April 2021, and increased the rental rate offer again as our final offer."

However, w-com Wireless Communications AG rejected "the last, final and, in the eyes of Swisscom, a very fair offer", as it did not meet the expectations of the municipal council.

Decommissioning as a logical consequence
Swisscom is facing a dilemma: on the one hand, it wants to avoid dismantling the antennas and to continue to offer the population of Hünenberg the "usual good mobile phone coverage". "At the same time, Swisscom does not want to have the rental rates and stricter contractual terms dictated to it," says Sabrina Hubacher.

The mobile phone antenna at the Chämleten S-Bahn rail station may be dismantled at the end of the year.
Picture: Patrick Hürlimann (Hünenberg, 19 May 2021)

Swisscom looked for alternative locations Immediately after the termination in 2019. So far, however, no solutions have been found and several projects are still open. Requests for shared use were also made to other site operators. Hubacher adds: "The search for replacement locations is time-consuming, and is still difficult at the moment." In the course of the search for replacement sites, Swisscom has contacted residents and potential landowners. Sabrina Hubacher: "Unfortunately, this has only provided a limited success so far."

Because the negotiations with the municipal council were inconclusive, Swisscom is forced to prepare for the dismantling of the two antenna systems by the end of 2021. As a result, mobile phone coverage in Hünenberg will " deteriorate massively " for Swisscom customers by the end of the year. Hubacher: "The people and the commercial interests of Hünenberg will suffer if we have to dismantle the antennas."

The municipality of Hünenberg cannot comment on this at this time, as the mayor, Renate Huwyler, informs on request. "The process is ongoing right now, and involves  the contracts, and not just the rental rate," she adds.