Radio and television
Radio and television play an important part in Switzerland in terms of freedom and diversity of opinion. The federal constitution stipulates that the electronic media should fulfil a public service mandate: they must contribute to culture, the forming of opinion, education and entertainment, and have to take into consideration the particularities of Switzerland and the needs of the cantons.
SRG SSR
The non-profit-making organization SRG SSR has an all-embracing mandate, broadcasting programmes for all language regions of Switzerland. SRG SSR is the largest electronic media organization in Switzerland. There are a total of 17 radio stations and 7 television channels. Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SRG SSR. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.
Private broadcasting companies
In addition to the SRG SSR a number of private companies broadcast radio and television stations. They primarily serve local and regional areas.
Licence fees
Anyone who owns a radio or television in working order must register with the collecting agency Serafe and pay a licence fee (about CHF 365/year for radio and TV in private households).
Mobile phones
At the moment, Switzerland has three mobile networks with several providers. The main three are Swisscom, Salt. and Sunrise, and they provide nationwide coverage with their networks. There are other operators offering mobile prepaid services that use the networks of these providers also. Such operators include yallo, Lycamobile, Lebara, M-Budget Mobile, Coop Mobile, Aldi Mobile and others. Before you choose a mobile phone or a subscription, you should check a few offers to see which one is the right for you – it really depends on how often/in which way you plan to use the phone. One way to find out which kind of mobile contract is most suitable is at comparis.ch.
Postal services
Switzerland has a state-owned postal service, called "Die Post" in German, "La Poste" in French or "La Posta" in Italian and "Swiss Post" in English. There are many postal offices at central locations but in some regions and small towns, the postal service is provided in local shops, such as Coop, Migros, Volg, or even in cafés.
You also find many yellow mailboxes, where you can drop your letters. The market for parcels is privatized; therefore, you can choose between different companies if you want to send a package.
Newspapers
The Keystone SDA is the national news agency of Switzerland. It broadcasts information around-the-clock in three national languages – German, French and Italian – on politics, economics, society and culture. The SNA supplies almost all Swiss media and a couple of dozen foreign media services with news. Newspapers of national importance are: Tagesanzeiger, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 24 heures and Le Temps.
Internet
In Switzerland you have a large number of Internet providers. Chose your provider and options with the help of comparis.ch.