Austria: Cell phone and internet tariffs will be more expensive from April

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Every April, the price of cell phone and internet tariffs in Austria is adjusted. The basic fee for the tariffs is adjusted to the consumer price index (CPI) to compensate for inflation. This is made possible by so-called value protection clauses in the contracts.

While the increase was quite substantial at around 8 percent in view of the high inflation of recent years, the figure is lower this year. If you have a tariff with an adjustment, you can expect just under 3 percent this year, as the CPI, based on the increase, has risen by 2.9 percent. It should be noted that the adjustment only applies to the basic fee. Service flat rates, other packages, call charges and the like are not affected.

What is the increase this year?
According to futurezone.at, A1 will increase its tariff by 2.9 percent this year. All monthly charges are affected, unless otherwise contractually agreed. At the same time, Austria’s largest mobile operator points out that it invests 500 million euros annually in its networks and is also affected by price increases for hardware, personnel and energy.
Drei will forego an increase in 2025. This is because inflation (according to the CPI of Statistics Austria) is below the threshold value defined in the general terms and conditions.
Magenta’s website provides information about the increase. According to this, it is up to 2.91 percent this year. However, the value may vary if the respective GTCs specify otherwise.
Who is affected?
The increases affect around half of all mobile phone contracts. For Internet connections, the figure is even around 90 percent. The figures come from a recent press release from the discount provider Spusu.

To find out whether you can expect an increase yourself, you need to look at the terms and conditions of your tariff. A full-text search for the terms “index”, “value adjustment” or “CPI” should quickly point you in the right direction.

Do I have a special right of termination?
No, there is no special right of termination in connection with the value adjustment. The contracts stipulate that prices can be adjusted during the contract term without such a right.

Therefore, you must sit out the agreed minimum contract term. An earlier survey conducted by the provider Hot showed that many customers mistakenly believe they have a special right of termination.

What can I do?
The comparison portal tarife.at advises on the one hand to pay attention to the corresponding value adjustment when concluding a contract or to choose a tariff where this is not provided for. An overview of corresponding tariffs can be found here.

On the other hand, it is always advisable to conclude tariffs without a minimum contract period or value card tariffs. Here you can quickly and easily switch to another offer in the event of an increase.