Austrian mobile communications market

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At the end of 2016, the mobile communications market in Austria comprised almost 14 million active SIM cards . These numbers have remained almost unchanged since 2011. In the third quarter of 2016, the operators' market share was as follows:

  • A1 Telekom Austria: 39.1%
  • Magenta Telecom: 28.6%
  • Hutchison Drei Austria: 27.3%
  • other mobile network providers (MVNO) 5.0%

Overview

Austrian mobile phone companies with their own GSM , UMTS and LTE network, including area code (s) for the network:

prefix brand Companies owner Remarks
0664 A1 A1 Telekom Austria Telekom Austria Cooperation agreement with Vodafone
0676 magenta Magenta Telecom Deutsche Telekom formerly max.mobil , T-Mobile Austria, part of the T-Mobile group
0660, 0699 Three ( 3 ) Hutchison Drei Austria CK Hutchison Holdings Part of the 3 group, 0699 was the area code for Orange (formerly one; previously Connect Austria). Orange was taken over by Drei in 2012, and network consolidation began in 2013

National Roaming Agreement

A so-called “National Roaming ” agreement existed between A1 and the mobile communications company Drei (3) until 2012 . In regions where Drei has not yet set up a UMTS / HSDPA network, Drei customers communicated via Telekom Austria's GSM network (A1). However, since 2012 there has been a cooperation between 3 on "National Roaming" with Magenta Telekom, since the contract with A1 was terminated. In return, Magenta customers use 3 UMTS networks in regions where Magenta Telekom does not offer its own 3G network. Despite the takeover of Orange and the associated network consolidation, the cooperation is sometimes maintained.

Number portability (porting)

The age of mobile number portability began in Austria on October 16, 2004, and by September 2010 around 6.4% of the almost 12 million numbers used had been ported to other mobile phone providers, so that the provider can no longer be read from the area code.

There is also number porting in Austria, i. H. the previous number can be taken with you when you change provider. A number with area code 0664 can therefore also belong to three. As a caller, you no longer know with certainty which network you are calling due to the area code of a number. If the destination network differed from the selected official network prefix , but a recorded message announced the actual destination network. Every mobile phone customer could have the automated announcement deactivated for their own calls so that no announcement was made when dialing a ported number. With the entry into force of the Number Transfer Ordinance 2012 on March 1, 2012, this provision was reversed: Since then, announcements may no longer be made unless the customer requests such information. Even at the customer's request, however, an announcement can only be made if it is also relevant to the tariff.

Development of the market

There is strong price pressure on the mobile communications market, making it one of the most competitive in Europe. In addition, the market saturation (number of active SIM cards in relation to the population) is very high in Austria: Statistically speaking, 156 percent (since some mobile phone customers have several SIM cards and also because the mobile phone companies also state hardly used cards as "active" customers) . But the total number of minutes telephoned in mobile communications has now also exceeded those in the fixed network. The providers therefore do not fight for new customers, but for the customers of the respective competitors. It is therefore unlikely that all operators will be able to establish themselves in the long term.

The first consolidation occurred in August 2005 as a result of the purchase of the fourth largest mobile communications company tele.ring by the number two in the market, Magenta Telekom.

In 2012, the mobile operator 3 Hutchison bought the network operator Orange after approval by the EU authorities.

According to Forum Mobilkommunikation (FMK), the lobby group for mobile communications companies, the mobile call duration in Austria's networks increased by a good 2% to 23 billion minutes in 2012 compared to the previous year, and the number of SMS by 17% to 8.4 billion. In 2009 only 16 million gigabytes were transmitted in the mobile Internet, in 2012 it was 73 million gigabytes, which is 66% more than in 2011. With a population of 8.44 million per capita and year, this corresponds to 2725 minutes, 995 SMS and 8.65 GB or daily 7.5 minutes, 2.75 SMS and 2.37 megabytes. Almost every second of the 19,922 cell phone masts is used by several network operators. The coverage of Austrians with SIM cards is 159%, 5% of the respondents do not have a mobile phone or do not use it, around half use it as an alarm clock. Broadband usage (mobile internet) is increasing, and 84% of pupils and students are already equipped with smartphones. The two market leaders Telekom Austria (A1) and Magenta Telekom each have around 5% less sales and almost 8% less earnings (EBITDA) in 2012. The total of 14,300 employees will be reduced by the takeover of Orange by "3", telekom Austria is trying to cut civil servants, especially in the fixed network area.

Network coverage and expansion

Despite the difficult topography, the mobile phone networks in Austria are very well developed compared to Germany. A1 and Magenta Telekom offer a nationwide GSM network on 900 MHz, while Drei offers GSM nationwide on 1800 MHz and partially on 900 MHz. Customers in areas without GSM network coverage by Drei access the Magenta Telekom network in the form of national roaming.

UMTS is offered by all three operators on 2100 MHz. Drei and A1 offer the largest UMTS networks, while the Magenta Telecom UMTS network is only available in metropolitan areas and on important main traffic routes. In areas without their own UMTS network, Magenta Telekom customers use Drei's UMTS network.

LTE is broadcast from A1 on 800 MHz and in cities also on 2600 MHz and is to be available throughout Austria by the end of 2015 [obsolete] . In the course of the Orange takeover, Drei merged its network with the former Orange network and completely rebuilt it. LTE has been installed throughout Austria at Drei since August 2015 and consists of 6,000 base stations. Three used LTE on 1800 MHz and in the city on 2600 MHz. Since 2016, Drei has been expanding the LTE network to 900 MHz and 2100 MHz. Magenta Telekom is expanding to 800 MHz in the country and to 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz in metropolitan areas and aims to reach more than 97% of the population by the end of 2016 [obsolete] .

Frequency overview

  • 800 MHz
    • A1: LTE (max. 150 Mbit / s)
    • Magenta: LTE (max. 75 Mbit / s)
  • 900 MHz
    • A1: GSM / GPRS / Edge (max. 236 Kbit / s)
    • Magenta: GSM / GPRS / Edge (max. 236 Kbit / s), UMTS / HSDPA / DC-HSDPA (max. 42 Mbit / s) since 10/2017; completed Austria-wide 10/2018
    • Three: LTE (max. 22.5 Mbit / s), GSM / GPRS / Edge (max. 236 Kbit / s)
  • 1800 MHz
    • A1: LTE (currently no expansion), GSM / GPRS, Edge
    • Magenta: LTE (max. 110 Mbit / s), GSM / GPRS / Edge
    • Three: LTE (max. 150 Mbit / s), GSM / GPRS / Edge
  • 2100 MHz
    • A1: UMTS / HSDPA / DC-HSDPA (max. 42 Mbit / s)
    • Magenta: UMTS / HSDPA / DC-HSDPA (max. 42 Mbit / s), LTE (max. 150 Mbit / s)
    • Three: LTE (max. 75 Mbit / s), UMTS / HSDPA / DC-HSDPA (max. 42 Mbit / s)
  • 2600 MHz
    • A1: LTE (max. 150 Mbit / s)
    • Magenta: LTE (max. 150 Mbit / s)
    • Three: LTE (max 150 Mbit / s)

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ RTR: RTR Telekom Monitor Q3 2016. (PDF) RTR, accessed on May 15, 2017 .
  2. ↑ RTR: RTR Telekom Monitor Q3 2016. (PDF) RTR, accessed on May 15, 2017 .
  3. ↑ The merging of Drei and Orange is taking shape ( memento from September 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Computerwelt.at, June 25, 2013, accessed on November 7, 2013.
  4. ^ Daniel Aj Sokolov: Austria: Dispute over number porting even 5 years after the start - heise online. In: heise.de. October 16, 2009, accessed October 4, 2015 .
  5. ↑ RTR Telekom Monitor 4/2013 ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ RTR Telekom Monitor 3/2012. Retrieved December 26, 2018 .
  7. ↑ http://oesterreich.orf.at/stories/2581600/ There are more calls than ever, orf.at (according to FMK) from April 25, 2013
  8. ↑ The three network. Surf faster in Austria's largest 4G / LTE network. Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH, accessed on October 1, 2015 .
  9. ↑ T-Mobile. Retrieved May 15, 2017 .
  10. ↑ RTR - frequencies - allocation to operators. Retrieved May 15, 2017 .