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Mobile phone guide

Updated: Feb 14

Last Update: 31st January 2023

Please use the comments below to discuss the issue of mobile phones, make suggestions or recommend changes.


Introduction

This document is meant to act as a brief and simple guide to mobile operators in Austria. It is intended for new arrivals or those weighing up the upgrade/switching options.


The basics

A mobile phone is called a “Handy” and also in Austria you need some form of ID (e.g., passport) to get a mobile phone number (no burner SIMs)


Main mobile networks

There are 3 main mobile networks in Austria:

Provider

Other/old names

A1

Telekom Austria

Magenta

T-Mobile, UPC

Drei

One/Connect Austria/Orange, Tele2, Hutchison Drei

The main operators have retail stores and some can provide support to customers in English.

Note: Some of these providers offer telephone, internet, mobile and TV packages.


MVNOs and Branded Resellers

There are many Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) and branded resellers in Austria. These use one of the three main operators as a backbone, but may offer different tariffs and services (e.g., some have different customer care and roaming coverage).

Your contract may be with one of the main operators or it may be with a separate company.

The link below gives a good overview of who’s who (in German)

Some of the major MVNOs are:

  • HoT (Magenta or Drei for Internet only)

  • Spusu (Drei)

  • Lidl (Drei)

  • Yesss (A1)

  • Bob (A1)

  • S-Budget (Magenta).

Some of these are online only, however you can buy the SIMs in some stores (e.g. Hofer, Lidl, Spar, Mediamarkt). Customer support does tend to be in German, but some may speak English if you are lucky!


5G and General Coverage

5G is still being rolled out in Austria and as such coverage is not nationwide. 4G coverage in the cities is quite good.

You can use a coverage map such as the following as an indicator as to your likely signal strength.

Nothing beats first-hand experience though! A little trick is if you have a mobile that is allowed to roam in Austria, try switching networks and doing a Speedtest to see what coverage you get (check data allowances though).


Roaming

Roaming is when you use your mobile outside your home country. The EU is quite strong on roaming regulations for travel within the EU, but when you go outside the EU it is a different story.

Definitions of “EU Roaming” do seem to be quite flexible especially around EEA members and the UK; so be careful! Switzerland in particular needs to be checked before you visit or travel through it.

Fair Usage Caps also apply with some networks or they may reduce some data limits when roaming, so please check before going abroad.

MVNOs can offer different roaming packages to the main operators and different contracts have different allowances.

Play close attention to Terms and Conditions changes, Marketing emails or SMS messages from the mobile operators.

You are advised to set roaming limits, check before you leave and don’t ignore those SMS Welcome to <insert country name> messages as it could be costly. This is especially true when entering third countries (non EEA countries) such as the UK. Turn roaming off well before you arrive at the border to avoid costly charges. Also be very careful near the Austrian borders as you may start roaming accidentally!


Useful Tips

These are some useful tips in no particular order.

  • If you need customer service in a shop, consider the main operators, but if you are happy online do that.

  • Be careful of minimum term contracts and ask about cooling off periods.

  • Ask about any activation fee or annual "service" charge.

  • Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Apple Safari offer in-built translation for websites. DeepL is also a good machine translator. ChatGPT can also be used (simply ask it to translate a webpage for you).

  • Buying an unlocked phone and a SIM only tariff may be cheaper in the long run and allows greater flexibility.

  • Dual SIM phones are very handy if you want to maintain a phone number from your home country and an Austrian one. eSims are now available from many networks too.

  • MVNOs should be considered as they sometimes offer good value and better tariffs.

  • The main operators offer bundled packages and discounts which may work out cheaper as a whole.

  • Check coverage in your area as it may be variable.

  • Stock Android phones or those from major manufacturers (e.g. Apple, Samsung) may be more likely to keep getting updates and security patches.

  • Mobile phones can get malware and viruses – please consider some form of Anti-virus protection.

  • Stores and Apps can be region-specific (e.g. jö app is only available in Austria)

  • Consider switching off data if you are roaming or at least until you are sure of the costs and don’t stream films on data – make sure your kids understand this too!!!

  • If you want to use your phone as a hotspot, check that your tarif supports it first. Also be very careful with battery wear if you leave phones charging all the time.

Useful Links

Mobile phone service providers


Other useful links


ree

With many thanks to MB

hello@englishspeakers.at

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