Swisscom announced in a statement that almost all of its roaming data packages will fall by 20 to 50 per cent, depending on the country, starting on 19 March.
For example, a 1 GB data package for use in the EU will now cost CHF 19.90. The same 1 GB data package for the US and large parts of South America, Africa, Australia and Asia is now 40 per cent cheaper at CHF 29.90. Even in holiday destinations like the Bahamas, Mauritius and the Dominican Republic, prices are dropping.
“Outside of Europe, our prices are now considerably lower than most other European mobile providers,” explains Jérôme Wingeier, Head of Roaming. “Our inOne mobile subscriptions already provide a data allowance that can be used worldwide. Therefore, most customers no longer pay separately for roaming data. 80 per cent of the entire data volume used by our customers abroad is already included in their subscriptions.” Swisscom is reducing roaming prices in a total of 197 different countries and destinations.
Within the EU, data packages are now mostly bought by customers who have above-average use or low-cost subscriptions without a data allowance (e.g. inOne mobile light) and by prepaid customers. When a 3 GB data package is purchased, the cost per GB is just CHF 16.63. Prices are dropping significantly for light users too: from 19 March, a 200 MB data package will cost just CHF 7.90 (–20%) and is also valid for 30 days.
“These price reductions are the result of intensive negotiations with our partners abroad,” explains Jérôme Wingeier. Use of third-party mobile networks is still a major purchasing cost factor – Swisscom is invoiced for each megabyte used. Usage is continuing to grow steadily as customers use their smartphones more and more abroad to surf the Internet, read the news and send holiday photos. Compared to the previous year, roaming data has grown by over 70%. “I am delighted that we have almost 700 partner networks worldwide and can already offer the latest 4G/LTE network coverage in 110 countries. Our customers value having the best network – at home and abroad.”
