Broadband Atlas — Manual for Network Operators

Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) — 2026
Contact: atlas@bakom.admin.ch — www.atlaslargebande.ch

1. Introduction

The Broadband Atlas provides various information on Switzerland's coverage by very high-speed networks. It consists of maps that provide information both on connections to fixed networks and on the availability of mobile communication networks.

The maps concerning the fixed network provide information on upstream and downstream speeds, the types of connection available (copper, coaxial cable, fibre optic), as well as the active providers in the area observed. The information is published in aggregated form by 250 m x 250 m squares. Mobile communication networks are represented by maps indicating, for each 100 m x 100 m square, the expected availability of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks.

The objective of this manual is to provide operators with a complete guide enabling them to ensure that the data transmitted are accurate, exhaustive and compliant with the requirements, with a view to reliable publication in the Atlas.

2. Process diagram for operators

2.1 Summary of the process

The complete process for transmitting data to OFCOM comprises the following steps:

Participation announcement to OFCOM for the signing of the cooperation agreement and the allocation of one or more NGA_PRID.
Obtaining the reference registers to verify buildings/addresses (RegBL or GeoPost).
Preparation of data by building entry (EGID/EDID) or by ADR_GEOPOST_ID.
Generation of an XML or CSV file compliant with the XSD (nga_upload.xsd).
Upload via the secure web application; automatic checks if XML.
Receipt of the validation report, possible corrections and re-upload.

Data preparation checklist

1. Participation announcement to OFCOM

Signature of the cooperation agreement and assigned NGA_PRID(s) atlas@bakom.admin.ch

Registration on www.uvek.egov.swiss completed.

2. Reference registers

Obtain the RegBL registers (www.housing-stat.ch) or GeoPost (www.post.ch)

The use of these registers is useful but not essential. They make it possible to verify that the buildings (EGID/EDID) or addresses (ADR_GEOPOST_ID) exist and are consequently considered in the analyses.

3. Data structure and values

The required variables are present in the prepared file

Speeds between 0–99999 or -1; technologies = yes/no; EGID/EDID or ADR_GEOPOST_ID compliant.

4. File validation

Generate XML → validate locally with nga_upload.xsd.

If a CSV is generated directly, ensure that it complies with the rules defined in the XSD.

5. ZIP creation

Create a ZIP containing the XML or CSV; naming according to the convention (e.g. <company>_YYYYMMDD.zip)

6. Upload

Upload via the service https://www.egov.swiss/; check the syntax message → wait for the validation report (an email will be sent).

2.2 Schedule & transfer dates

Data transfer takes place twice a year: between 15 April and 1 May, and between 15 October and 1 November. OFCOM then processes the data and publishes them respectively on 2 June and 2 December.

Note: participation is voluntary. Operators who do not wish to participate do not appear in the Atlas.

3. Participation announcement to OFCOM

Initial contact: atlas@bakom.admin.ch. This announcement constitutes an essential step in order to participate in the project. The participation request must be examined and approved by the competent department. During registration, provide :

Company name (published) ;
URL of the page presenting the services (published) ;
Contact details of the contact person (not published) ;
Type(s) of connection operated (fibre, coax, copper) ;
If applicable: contacts of the third party transmitting the data.

OFCOM has a cooperation agreement signed defining the terms of use of the data and assigns each operator one or more unique identifiers (NGA_PRID).

Small operators may, if they wish, entrust the transmission of data to an intermediary, for example Suissedigital.

4. Creation of a user account on www.uvek.egov.swiss

4.1 Registration as a portal user

To access the “ Data submission for the Broadband Atlas ” area, you must have a login on the DETEC eGovernment portal. Registration is carried out via the Confederation's central authentication system (eIAM) and is free of charge.

The complete registration procedure is described under eGovernment Portal registrieren.

4.2 Creation of or attachment to an organisation

If your organisation is already registered, you can directly request the necessary rights via the service Request organisational rights.

Otherwise, after logging in, you can use the service “ Create an organisation ” to register your company or institution's data. This step is required only if the operator is a legal entity. More information on this process is available in Organisation anlegen. For an overview of the onboarding process, see the short guide Kurzanleitung – Onboarding Benutzer und Organisationen.

4.3 Activation of the “ Data submission for the Broadband Atlas ” service

From the portal, open the Service Catalogue, then navigate to : Telecommunications → “ Data submission for the Broadband Atlas ”. You can then launch the service to submit your data, consult your previous submissions or manage your access.

If your organisation had not yet been registered, a link to organisation creation also appears in the prerequisites of the service.

4.4 Security and responsibility

Access uses the federal eIAM authentication system. Depending on the rights assigned, enhanced authentication (two-factor / OTP) may be required. Any change to the person responsible or any organisational change must be communicated immediately.

Note: the account must be personal and access must not be shared.

5. Obtaining the reference registers

5.1 Federal Register of Buildings and Dwellings (RegBL — FSO)

Download via www.housing-stat.ch. The minimum file contains per building entry: EGID, EDID, municipality identifier, address and NPA. The updates used are those from April and October.

5.2 GeoPost Coordinate (Swiss Post)

The address and geodata register provides the ADR_GEOPOST_ID, complete address and geographical coordinates (www.post.ch).

Attention: the use of ADR_GEOPOST_ID may introduce local differences compared with RegBL; some ADR_GEOPOST_ID may not correspond to an EGID/EDID.

6. Data preparation

Operators prepare their dataset by building entry (EGID+EDID) or by ADR_GEOPOST_ID, then generate an XML or CSV file compliant with the provided XSD schema (annex 1).

6.1 Attributes by building entry (RegBL) or addresses (Post)

For the NGA_PRID for which the operator is responsible, provide, for each EGID/EDID (or ADR_GEOPOST_ID), a dataset comprising:

Identifiers (exclusive):
- If the GWR_EGID and GWR_EDID are known:
  - GWR_EGID
  - GWR_EDID
  - ADR_GEOPOST_ID = -1
- If the ADR_GEOPOST_ID are known:
  - GWR_EGID = -1
  - GWR_EDID = -1
  - ADR_GEOPOST_ID
Speeds:
- BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM (Mbit/s)
- BITRATE_UPSTREAM (Mbit/s)
Available network technologies (yes/no):
- AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER
- AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX
- AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE
Available TV quality:
- BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY (leave "none" — not published since 2018)

6.2 Data — definitions

Field	Type / value	Description
NGA_PRID	integer (1–9999)	Operator identifier assigned by OFCOM.
GWR_EGID	1–900000000 or -1	Federal building identifier (RegBL). Set -1 if ADR_GEOPOST_ID is used.
GWR_EDID	-1 to 90	Building entry identifier. Set -1 if ADR_GEOPOST_ID is used.
ADR_GEOPOST_ID	1–999999999 or -1	GeoPost identifier. Set -1 if GWR_EGID/GWR_EDID are used.
BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM	0–99999 or -1	Maximum downstream speed in Mbit/s (−1 = not connected).
BITRATE_UPSTREAM	0–99999 or -1	Maximum upstream speed in Mbit/s (−1 = not connected).
BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY	none / sdtv / hdtv	Always fill in “none” (data not published since 2018).
AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER	yes / no	Indicate whether copper technology is actually available at the building entry.
AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX	yes / no	Indicate whether coaxial technology is actually available at the building entry.
AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE	yes / no	Indicate whether fibre optic technology is actually available at the building entry.

6.4 XML creation & validation

The XSD schema (annex 1) defines the data structure. Recommended tools:

script / database for large quantities (recommended).
Excel + XML mapping (useful only for small datasets);

Excel procedure (summary):

Developer tab → Source → XML Mappings → add nga_upload.xsd.
Drag the root node NGA_Root into the sheet → column table.
Import the existing XML data or fill in the table.
Enable validation against the schema, then Export → XML file.

If the export reports errors, consult the “Details” to correct them.

7. Data transmission

The files are submitted via the DETEC eGovernment portal: https://www.uvek.egov.swiss/. This centralised portal replaces the former NIS-DB service and allows you to manage your files securely.

To submit your files, follow the instructions available in the “ Data submission for the Broadband Atlas ” service of the portal. This service guides you step by step to:

Log in and authenticate yourself.
Upload ZIP files containing your XML or CSV data.
Consult, in your eGov area, the validation report generated from the transmitted data; you will be notified by e-mail as soon as this report is available (delay of 1 to 2 days).

In case of errors, correct your data and re-upload them via the service.

8. Validation of transmitted data

Once the data have been loaded into the database, they are compared with the data from the previous period (if they exist). For this purpose, several files are created. Each file corresponds to a specific type of verification or operation. All of these files are then compressed and made available to users in their Egov area.

Global summary file — `summary_<period>.csv`

For each NGA_PRID, this file indicates:

Lower_bitrate: buildings with reduced downstream or upstream speed.
Copper_change_but_not_to_fibre: Copper disappeared without migration to Fibre.
Copper_change_to_fibre: Copper replaced by Fibre.
Coax_change_but_not_to_fibre: Coax disappeared without migration to Fibre.
Coax_change_to_fibre: Coax replaced by Fibre.
Fibre_change: Fibre disappeared.
New_buildings: new buildings appeared.
Removed_buildings: buildings that disappeared compared with the previous period.

This file provides a summary view of the detected changes.

Other CSV files

lower_bitrate_<period>.csv: details of buildings with reduced speed.
copper_changed_<period>.csv: buildings where Copper changed (excluding migration to Fibre).
coax_changed_<period>.csv: buildings where Coax changed (excluding migration to Fibre).
fibre_changed_<period>.csv: buildings where Fibre changed.
new_buildings_<period>.csv: new buildings.
removed_buildings_<period>.csv: buildings that disappeared.

CSV upload logs

Each upload generates a log file named: upload_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_<user>.log. Loading errors are visible there.

Building matching key

Comparison between periods via the building_key identifier:

If gwr_egid and gwr_edid are valid (≠ -1): building_key = gwr_egid || '-' || gwr_edid.
Otherwise: building_key = adr_geopost_id.

Usage tips

Files named <user>_<type>_<period>.csv.
The period follows the AAAAMM format.
First consult the summary, then the detailed files if necessary.
Keep this README in the same folder for traceability.

Annexes (essential excerpts)

Annex 1 — Complete XML schema (nga_upload.xsd)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">

  <!-- Root element NGA_Root -->
  <xs:element name="NGA_Root">
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element ref="Row" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
      </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- Row element -->
  <xs:element name="Row">
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:all>
        <xs:element ref="NGA_PRID"/>
        <xs:element ref="GWR_EGID"/>
        <xs:element ref="GWR_EDID"/>
        <xs:element ref="ADR_GEOPOST_ID"/>
        <xs:element ref="BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM"/>
        <xs:element ref="BITRATE_UPSTREAM"/>
        <xs:element ref="BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY"/>
        <xs:element ref="AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER"/>
        <xs:element ref="AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX"/>
        <xs:element ref="AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE"/>
      </xs:all>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- NGA_PRID -->
  <xs:element name="NGA_PRID">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:short">
        <xs:minInclusive value="1"/>
        <xs:maxInclusive value="99999"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- GWR_EGID -->
  <xs:element name="GWR_EGID">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:union memberTypes="Available_GWR_EGID Int_Value_Not_Available"/>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <xs:simpleType name="Available_GWR_EGID">
    <xs:restriction base="xs:int">
      <xs:minInclusive value="1"/>
      <xs:maxInclusive value="900000000"/>
    </xs:restriction>
  </xs:simpleType>

  <!-- GWR_EDID -->
  <xs:element name="GWR_EDID">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:byte">
        <xs:minInclusive value="-1"/>
        <xs:maxInclusive value="90"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- ADR_GEOPOST_ID -->
  <xs:element name="ADR_GEOPOST_ID">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:union memberTypes="Available_Adr_Geopost_ID Int_Value_Not_Available"/>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <xs:simpleType name="Available_Adr_Geopost_ID">
    <xs:restriction base="xs:int">
      <xs:minInclusive value="1"/>
      <xs:maxInclusive value="999999999"/>
    </xs:restriction>
  </xs:simpleType>

  <!-- Int_Value_Not_Available (-1) -->
  <xs:simpleType name="Int_Value_Not_Available">
    <xs:restriction base="xs:int">
      <xs:enumeration value="-1"/>
    </xs:restriction>
  </xs:simpleType>

  <!-- BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM -->
  <xs:element name="BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:short">
        <xs:minInclusive value="-1"/>
        <xs:maxInclusive value="99999"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- BITRATE_UPSTREAM -->
  <xs:element name="BITRATE_UPSTREAM">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:short">
        <xs:minInclusive value="-1"/>
        <xs:maxInclusive value="99999"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY -->
  <xs:element name="BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
        <xs:enumeration value="none"/>
        <xs:enumeration value="hdtv"/>
        <xs:enumeration value="sdtv"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <!-- NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES -->
  <xs:element name="AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
        <xs:enumeration value="no"/>
        <xs:enumeration value="yes"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <xs:element name="AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
        <xs:enumeration value="no"/>
        <xs:enumeration value="yes"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

  <xs:element name="AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX">
    <xs:simpleType>
      <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
        <xs:enumeration value="no"/>
        <xs:enumeration value="yes"/>
      </xs:restriction>
    </xs:simpleType>
  </xs:element>

</xs:schema>

Annex 2 — XML example

Download the XML example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<NGA_Root xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="nga_upload.xsd">
  <Row>
    <NGA_PRID>155</NGA_PRID>
    <GWR_EGID>111222333</GWR_EGID>
    <GWR_EDID>0</GWR_EDID>
    <ADR_GEOPOST_ID>-1</ADR_GEOPOST_ID>
    <BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM>50</BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM>
    <BITRATE_UPSTREAM>5</BITRATE_UPSTREAM>
    <BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY>sdtv</BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY>
    <AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER>no</AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER>
    <AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX>no</AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX>
    <AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE>yes</AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE>
  </Row>
</NGA_Root>

Annex 3 — CSV example

Download the CSV example

NGA_PRID;GWR_EGID;GWR_EDID;ADR_GEOPOST_ID;BITRATE_DOWNSTREAM;BITRATE_UPSTREAM;AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COPPER;AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_COAX;AVAILABLE_NETWORK_TECHNOLOGY_FIBRE;BEST_AVAILABLE_TV_QUALITY
155;111222333;0;-1;50;5;no;no;yes;none