GLP Major Wants to Check: Should Swisscom Be Privatized Now?

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When it was announced on Wednesday that Swisscom wanted to spend eight billion francs for the Italian mobile phone provider Vodafone Italia, alarm bells went off in the Federal Palace. The Swisscom leadership around CEO Christoph Aeschlimann (47) will soon have to compete in four parliamentary committees.

Strong winds will blow against the state-owned company – 51 percent of Swisscom’s shares are held by the federal government: the SVP has already demanded that Swisscom not engage in “some shopping adventures with Swiss taxpayers’ money”.

“Investigation into privatization of Swisscom”

GLP president Jürg Grossen (54) also wants to put an end to this. “This could be an interesting deal for Swisscom. But it is not the job of a Swiss state company to guarantee the mobile phone network in Sicily. Or pay for it,” he says, referring to the latest failed shopping trips at Swisscom. There are a few. Even the Italian fiber optic operator Fastweb, which is now doing well, was a problem child for years. Not to mention the billion-dollar grave Debitel in Germany.

Grossen believes that state-owned enterprises should focus on the necessary basic services of the state. “If they want to do something else, we have to privatize the affected parts. Therefore, the privatization of Swisscom must be investigated.”

The infrastructure must remain in state hands

But then the question arises: who else guarantees public services? The state must guarantee basic services, but not necessarily through a state-owned company, says Grossen. “Competitive tenders could also be a tool,” he says.

“It’s not about privatizing everything. Unique infrastructure such as railways, roads, power lines and emergency systems belong in state hands. But the days of the PTT monopoly are long gone; there is now functioning competition in the telecommunications market.

“Gnusch im Fadechorbli”

It is the job of politicians to ensure that state infrastructure and services are clearly separated from those in private competition. A logical first step was taken years ago by partially privatizing federal companies. But now state-owned companies would regularly cross the fence: they would operate cinemas or advertising companies and offer IT services – thus competing unfairly with the private sector.

“Today we have a wildebeest in the Fadechörbli that we have to clean up,” concludes the GLP president. And has already made progress. Last September, Grossen called on parliament to legally determine what services federal companies can provide in competition with private companies and under what conditions. The Economic Commission of the National Council has already said yes to this proposal.

Source:Blick