The telecom company Salt is increasing the prices for mobile phone subscriptions by around three percent. The reason is higher operating costs due to inflation, especially in the energy and labor sectors. Competitor Sunrise had already increased list prices for cell phone subscriptions in May.
The surcharge of around 3 percent affects list prices for mobile phone subscriptions and will apply from September 2023. The prices of prepaid offers and offers with devices and additional options as well as contracts with large companies are excluded from this, Salt writes in a statement.
Legend: Salt promises that the company will stop increasing list prices for subscriptions until 2025. Keystone/GAETAN BALLY
Those responsible emphasize that it is the first time since the Salt brand was launched in 2015 that prices have been increased. Salt also commits to keeping list prices for mobile subscriptions stable after this increase until 2025. In addition, Salt states that it will not additionally pass on the upcoming VAT increase to customers.
Sunrise also increased, Swisscom not
Salt’s competitor Sunrise had already announced inflation-related price increases in May of the current year. There, the list prices for subscriptions increased by around 4 percent.
“Inflation is also affecting Swisscom. We expect around 50 million francs in additional costs for 2023, primarily due to increased wage and energy costs,” said a spokesman for the largest Swiss telecom provider on request. However, a large part can be compensated for by cost-cutting measures, he emphasized. “In concrete terms, this means that we keep the prices for our private customers stable,” said the spokesman.
There will be no general price increases on the existing subscriptions (prepaid and postpaid) by the end of 2024, “neither because of inflation nor because of the increase in VAT,” said the Swisscom spokesman. This applies to the current Blue Mobile offers, Internet, TV and landline subscriptions as well as to all second and third brands and customers with basic service products.