Basic service provision

    Unit   2011   2012   2013
Number of traffic minutes (national fixed-line traffic)   million min.   6,200   5,328   4,437
Number of public payphones 1   number   6,700   5,800   4,834
Emergency calls   in thousand   3,050   3,053   2,284
Calls to the service for visually impaired/hard of hearing   in thousand   553   540   515
1 Of which 3,307 (2013), 3,514 (2012), 4,058 (2011) within the scope of basic service provision.

Swisscom is responsible for providing basic telecoms services in Switzerland, and has been mandated to do so until 2017. The aim of the mandate is the provision of analogue and digital network access throughout Switzerland, including voice telephony, fax, data transmission and broadband internet access. The guaranteed transmission speed for a broadband Internet connection in 2013 was 1,000 kbps (download speed). The price ceiling for this service is CHF 55 per month (excluding VAT).

Another part of basic service provision for which Swisscom has long been responsible is the maintenance and operation of the public telephones and access to the emergency call service for the police, fire and ambulance services, as well as special services for the disabled. Swisscom continues to forego any financial settlement in compensation for the uncovered costs of basic service provision.