Soon 2.9 percent more

Cell phone tariffs: Spusu waives index adjustment

In April, most mobile operators will be tightening the price screw again.

(Bild: IHAR ULASHCHYK)

Mobile phone tariffs, which are supposed to be adjusted for inflation, will generally become 2.9 percent more expensive in April. The mobile and fiber optic provider spusu is now using the index adjustment to drum up publicity for itself: They are not going along with it.

"There is no index adjustment for us in mobile communications," says spusu CEO Franz Pichler. The exception to this is fiber optic Internet with unlimited performance, where the constant additional consumption must be passed on.

"After many consumers already had to accept an inflation-related increase of almost 8% last year, another 2.9% will be added this year. This means that the CPI has risen by a full 27.1% since 2020," said Pichler, calculating the index adjustments in mobile telephony. Around half of all mobile tariffs in Austria are index-linked.

Criticism of the government: fiber optic expansion is a promotion of the construction industry
Pichler shares his competitors' criticism of the government's fiber optic subsidy. This would support the construction companies, but not the mobile operators or the customers. If politicians want a higher connection rate for broadband Internet, then they must promote the connection to the customer, emphasized the spusu founder.

The demand for fast Internet is there, as spusu can see from the increased demand for 5G offers. Pichler recommends that frequent users switch to the latest generation of mobile communications, as network operators are increasingly withdrawing frequencies from 4G for 5G. Consultations are currently underway for the next frequency auction. According to Pichler, it is important that network operators continue to make their antennas available to users such as spusu at competitive prices. spusu uses the Drei network, explained the spusu CEO.

100,000 new customers in the previous year
spusu had its strongest year in terms of sales in 2024 with a net increase of 100,000 customers. He did not notice that consumers were saving money. Payment morale is also as good as ever. Pichler also attributes this to customer service, which is not outsourced like others, but is part of the company in Austria.

In addition, excavation work for laying the fiber optic cable is carried out by the company's own construction team, which also seals the holes properly, which creates a good atmosphere among the local residents. In Austria, spusu is already the third largest fiber optic provider.

Annual turnover of 81 million euros in 2024
The fact that Pichler, who runs spusu as a Lower Austrian family business without an investor, also produces wine and e-bikes in his home region fits in well with his company's slogan, said Pichler. "Better living with spusu", said Pichler. spusu is also not a discounter, but a quality provider at very reasonable prices, he noted.

spusu was founded by Pichler in 2015 and has over 650,000 customers, according to the company. Annual turnover in 2024 amounted to 81 million euros. spusu currently operates in Austria, Italy, the UK and Switzerland. Pichler has also been producing its own e-bikes "Made in Austria" since 2022. In May 2023, spusu entered the wine business.