Switzerland is one of the world’s leading countries for information and communication technology (ICT). Accounting for approx. 8% of the GDP, it occupies the number three spot after Japan and Sweden. In Switzerland there are around 13,500 ICT companies and some 70 call or customer centers.

In the Canton of Bern ICT companies are engaged primarily in the areas of network operation, software and hardware development as well as computer centers. 14 percent of the working population is engaged in the ICT sector and over 25 percent of the call center employees in Switzerland work here. This is equivalent to 1,400 companies (approx. 10 % of the ICT companies throughout Switzerland) and 10 call centers (15 % of those in Switzerland) with a total of 21,450 employees. These companies include eBay, Orange, T-Systems, Huawei Technologies Switzerland, Togewa, Ascom, Sunrise and Swisscom.

The tcbe.ch – ICT Cluster Bern, Switzerland, is a cluster organisation with over 200 members in the area of information technology and telecommunications. The activities of tcbe.ch are focused on the organization of the world of work, promotion of Berne as a business location, knowledge and know-how transfer, education and further training, internationalization and networks.

In the Canton of Berne research into communication and information technology is conducted primarily by the University of Bern, the Berne University of Applied Science and the CSEM, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology in nearby Neuenburg.

The Canton of Bern is the home of numerous ICT training centers. These include the University of Bern (Institute for Information Technology and Applied Mathematics, Institute of Information Systems), the Bern University of Applied Sciences (Department of Technology and Information Technology, Swiss Software School), the Swiss School of Information Systems and the School of Telematics, Bern.

Four key federal authorities are based in the Canton of Bern: the Swiss Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT), the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), the Federal Strategy Unit for IT (FSUIT) and the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom).