Summary
As Product Manager in New Verticals at Swisscom, I led the strategic entry into the drone market, building a new business line from the ground up. By solving critical safety challenges with mobile network integration and collaborating with regulators, pilots, and infrastructure providers, we developed and launched a suite of innovative drone solutions.
The result was strong market traction, revenue-generating partnerships, and industry recognition, including the University of St. Gallen Smart IoT Award 2021.
Challenge
Swisscom identified drones as a promising growth vertical. However, key barriers existed:
- Safety concerns: Drones lacked reliable mobile network integration, limiting safe long-distance operations.
- Ecosystem complexity: Adoption required collaboration with airports, regulators, and public safety stakeholders.
- Market immaturity: The industry was fragmented, with no dominant solutions or standardized infrastructure.
My Contribution
As Product Manager, I held end-to-end responsibility for shaping and executing the strategy:
- Market Research & Ecosystem Analysis: Identified market opportunities, user needs, and regulatory requirements.
- Team Building & Leadership: Assembled a cross-functional core team and ensured capability building in drone technologies.
- Product Development & Testing: Spearheaded ideation, prototyping, and testing with pilots, airports, and police.
- Strategic Rollout: Oversaw launch, secured partnerships, and continuously refined offerings based on stakeholder feedback.
Used Methodologies & Strategies
To build Swisscom’s drone vertical, I applied:
- Lean Market Research: Mapping industry needs and regulatory gaps before committing resources.
- Agile Product Development: Iterative prototyping and stakeholder testing.
- Ecosystem Leadership: Partnering with Skyguide and safety organizations for credibility and adoption.
- Stakeholder Co-Creation: Integrating input from pilots, police, airports, and regulators.
- Strategic Positioning: Aligning Swisscom’s telecom strength with drone industry needs.
Solution
We developed a portfolio of drone solutions leveraging Swisscom’s mobile network infrastructure:
- Airspace Connectivity
Reliable long-distance control and real-time data exchange for safe drone operations. - Drone Spotter
Detection and surveillance solution to safeguard events and critical infrastructure. - Drone Traffic Management
Seamless integration of drone operations into airspace via the Swiss U-Space platform.
Results
The initiative delivered measurable achievements:
- Market Positioning: Swisscom became a recognized leader in the Swiss drone industry.
- Revenue Growth: Pilot projects with early adopters generated new revenue streams.
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with Skyguide and other ecosystem leaders.
- Integration: Drone portfolio became part of Swisscom Broadcast, formalizing its role.
- Industry Recognition: Won the Smart IoT Award 2021 by the University of St. Gallen.
Conclusion
This case study highlights my ability to lead new business initiatives, navigate complex ecosystems, and build products that address safety and regulatory challenges while driving measurable growth.
Launching Swisscom’s drone business showcased my strengths in strategic product leadership, market research, stakeholder collaboration, and scaling innovation into a recognized and revenue-generating business vertical.