Sunrise, Switzerland’s second-largest relecom service provider, is raising its prices as per December 1, 2019. The price hikes will affect many Sunrise plans.
Daily flat fee for additional mobile data goes up
Users whose Sunrise mobile plans do not include unlimited mobile data for a flat fee pay for additional data used once their data allowances are exhausted.
Up until now, Sunrise charged customers 1 franc for each additional day of mobile data use. As per December 1, 2019, Sunrise is raising this rate by 20 percent to 1.20 Swiss francs per day. This affects the Freedom Swiss start and the Freedom Swiss call plans among others.
Customers can continue to opt out of paid high-speed mobile data if they choose to, in which case the data transfer speeds are sharply throttled once their plans roaming allowances are used up. This throttled, low-speed Internet will remain free after the upcoming changes.
3 to 5 centimes more per minute for phone calls
Sunrise is hiking prices for phone calls from both mobile phones and landline phones. Sunrise customers who do not have plans with unlimited calls for a flat fee will pay 55 centimes per minute for calls from their mobile phones – up from the current 50 centimes per minute. This affects Swiss start plan holders among others.
Sunrise is also raising its per-minute price for calls from landline phones by between 3 and 5 centimes. Calls within Swiss landline networks are going up to 13 centimes per minute and calls to Swiss mobile networks are going up to 43 centimes per minute. International calls are also affected by the price hikes. Calls to many European countries – including Germany, France, Italy and Spain – will cost 20 centimes per minute (landline numbers) or 50 centimes per minute (mobile numbers).
Assessment by moneyland.ch telecom expert Ralf Beyeler
Only a few weeks ago, Sunrise raised its one-time fee for SIM cards from 6 francs to 55 francs. Now, Sunrise is raising its per-minute fees for phone calls and its per-day price for mobile data. It has only been several months since Sunrise last raised its per-minute fees for phone calls.
A comparison with competing service providers shows that the price changes strongly affect the competitiveness of Sunrise’s per-minute rates for calls to mobile and landline phones. For example, a 10-minute call within the Swiss landline network on a Sunday would cost Swisscom customers 40 centimes. Sunrise customers will have to pay 1.50 francs – nearly four times as much – for the same call.
The near-doubling of the per-minute price for calls within Switzerland is another example. From December 2019, Sunrise customers will pay 55 centimes per minute for calls from their mobile phones.
A look at the data in the mobile service comparison on moneyland.ch shows that Sunrise charges the highest per-minute price of all Swiss telecom service providers in this regard. When Sunrise launched its Freedom plans in 2014, it charged just 30 centimes per minute. Most of its competitors now charge less than 30 centimes per minute.
Sunrise strategy is pretty clear. By Raising its per-minute pricing, it hopes to push its customers to purchase unlimited plans with flat fees. However, flat-fee plans are not the most affordable option for people who only use their phones occasionally.
Comparing telecom services is key for phone users who want to get the most service for their money. This is particularly true when you account for the regular special offers for unlimited, flat-fee plans at heavily discounted prices. The interactive mobile plan comparison on moneyland.ch includes special promotions and makes it easy for you to find the most affordable plan for your needs.
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