FAQ

Here you can find answers to questions you may have about Open Data Swisscom.

1. What is Open Data Swisscom?

Open Data Swisscom offers centralised access to open (i.e. freely accessible) data about Swisscom Services. To promote innovation in Switzerland and encourage creative, entrepreneurial and scientific projects, we are making data openly available. The trust of our customers is a precious asset. That’s why, when choosing to make data open, we categorically exclude all customer data, data that could be used to identify individuals, and data that we are obliged to keep confidential under the applicable laws and regulations.

2. Why does Open Data Swisscom exist?

In 2014, the Federal Council introduced the Open Government Data Strategy for Switzerland 2014-2018 (external). The opportunities presented by digitisation are almost endless, opening up ground-breaking possibilities for our customers, for Switzerland, and for Swisscom itself. Whether making processes more efficient, developing tailored solutions, providing context-based offers, or holding rounds of financing for innovative Swiss startups: we believe that the main focus is to create new value and to share it fairly. By providing open data, we are helping to expedite digitisation in Switzerland.

3. How does the Open Data Swisscom portal relate to existing specialist data infrastructures?

Alongside the existing specialist data infrastructures, such as the Developer Portal & API environment, we are providing a data portal on data.swisscom.com via which our open data can be easily found, analysed and consumed in different ways. In the data explorer, users can also access a global pool of open data (currently > 4,000 data records). The portal is designed to complement our range of commercial services.

4. What are the terms and conditions of use for the data?

We have created terms and conditions for the use of all data records. These are based on the Creative Commons maxim “When we share, everyone wins”. Where specific terms of use apply for a certain data record, these are mentioned in the data record itself. This page explains the different terms and conditions of use.

5. How can I find out about new data?

Drop by our portal regularly, as we are constantly adding new data records and content.

6. How often are the data records updated?

The open data originates from various systems and interfaces within Swisscom. Each data record contains details about when it was last amended or updated. We are also very keen to offer data records in real time in the future and to keep them constantly up-to-date.

7. Is data security guaranteed with Open Data Swisscom?

When choosing the open data for Open Data Swisscom, we categorically exclude all customer data, data that could be used to identify individuals, and data that we are obliged to keep confidential under the applicable laws and regulations.

8. What is an API?

With an API (Application Programming Interface), data can be accessed directly from an application. Using these services for data processing requires a certain amount of skill and practice. Detailed documentation on integrating APIs is available via the following link (external). In order to actually use a service, the API must be installed into the host application.