Topic 05 · Updated November 2025

Telecom & internet: cut your bill in one evening.

Switzerland has the highest mobile and broadband prices in Europe and three providers behind a dozen brand fronts. Inertia, not technology, is what you are paying for.

Estimated annual impactCHF 480
30-year compounded valueCHF 45,300

Three networks, twelve brand fronts

All Swiss mobile traffic runs on Swisscom, Sunrise, or Salt. Every other brand (M-Budget, Wingo, Yallo, Lebara, Lidl Connect, Aldi mobile, etc.) is a virtual operator on one of those three networks. Coverage and speed are essentially identical to the parent network.

What differs is the price you pay per GB of data and per minute, and the contract structure.

The Pareto move
Move to a SIM-only plan from a discount MVNO on the same parent network you currently use. Same coverage, same speed, ~50–70% lower monthly bill. Drop your home internet to the cheapest 100 Mbit/s tier - anything faster is unnoticeable for normal use.
BrandNetworkMonthly cost
Swisscom flagship planSwisscomCHF 95
Wingo (Swisscom MVNO)SwisscomCHF 45
Salt directSaltCHF 40
Yallo (Sunrise MVNO)SunriseCHF 35
Indicative monthly mobile pricing, unlimited data + EU roaming, 2025.
Bundling and roaming traps
Hardware bundling: a 'free' phone with a contract typically embeds the phone cost at retail price plus interest into a 24-month commitment. Buy hardware separately. Roaming: outside the EU, default per-MB rates can exceed CHF 10/MB. Always activate a roaming pass before crossing the border, or use an eSIM (Airalo, Holafly) for non-EU travel.

One-evening checklist

  • Note your contract end date and minimum notice period.
  • Identify your current network (check on Swisscom/Sunrise/Salt coverage maps).
  • Pick the cheapest MVNO on the same network for your data needs.
  • Send written cancellation by registered mail one full notice period before the end date.
  • Order the new SIM with same-day porting (number portability is a federal right).
  • Repeat for home internet: if you use less than 200 Mbit/s actively, the 100 Mbit/s tier is enough.

Neutral references

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