MVNO Switzerland: Comparing Swiss Virtual Mobile Operators
Let's discover together who the virtual mobile operators in Switzerland are and their characteristics to identify the one most suitable for saving with mobile subscription offers.
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What is an MVNO?
The term MVNO stands for Mobile Virtual Network Operator. This name is used to refer to a provider of mobile subscriptions that offers its telephone services by renting a physical mobile network managed by another operator. An MVNO has network coverage equal to that of traditional operators without the need to directly manage the antennas, making its corporate structure more streamlined.
What types of MVNOs exist?
Depending on the agreements made with the network operator, the MVNO can be classified into different categories. To categorize MVNOs, it is important to identify the activities of a mobile subscription provider, which can be summarized in this list:
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Management, maintenance, monitoring, and development of the mobile network and antennas
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Issuing and managing SIM cards associated with prepaid offers or mobile contracts that customers sign up for
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Enabling value-added services (also known as VAS) such as SMS and internet access
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Marketing activities, defining rates, and promoting their offers to end customers
Traditional operators such as Swisscom, Sunrise, and Salt are defined as MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) and manage the entire list of activities to provide their services to end customers.
MVNOs are classified into three different categories:
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Full MVNO: Virtual operators that do not own their physical network infrastructure but also handle the issuing and management of the SIM cards, along with other activities.
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ESP MVNO: Does not directly issue SIM cards, which are issued by the host network operator. However, they have the ability to manage sales and marketing activities as well as first-level customer billing and management.
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AIR Time Reseller: Operators that only manage the marketing activities of the offers, reselling the VAS services on behalf of another operator.
Who are the main MVNOs in Switzerland?
As we have seen, an MVNO allows the use of the Swisscom, Sunrise, or Salt network without the need to sign a subscription with one of these three traditional operators.
Below are the main MVNOs for each mobile network:
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MVNO on Swisscom network: Coop Mobile, Wingo, Mucho Mobile, M-Budget Mobile.
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MVNO on Sunrise network: Aldi Suisse Mobile. Digital Republic, TalkTallk, Teleboy, SAK, UPC, yallo, swype, Lebara, Galaxus Mobile, Quickline.
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MVNO on Salt network: Post Mobile, GoMo, Lidl Connect, Lycamobile, VTX, iWay.
To choose an MVNO, it is important to know the mobile coverage of the host network to avoid selecting a virtual operator that would not guarantee the desired performance near your home. To check the coverage for free, you can use our mobile coverage map.
What are the advantages of a virtual operator?
Now that we understand who the virtual operators in Switzerland are, we need to understand if they can be the right choice for the next mobile contract to save some money.
Virtual mobile operators are usually cheaper than traditional ones, but this is not the only advantage. To be completely transparent, we also report the main disadvantages of this type of mobile operator. Here are the pros and cons of MVNOs:
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MVNO Advantages:
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They are cheaper: Not having to bear the costs of developing and managing the physical network, MVNOs can offer lower prices.
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They are more flexible: Mobile subscriptions from virtual operators usually have no contract obligations or early termination fees.
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They are more transparent: There are no hidden costs and no optional paid services are automatically activated without the customer's request.
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MVNO Disadvantages:
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Internet Speed: Network operators limit the maximum speed of MVNOs to give priority to their own customers, which can slow down the other users.
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Lower Quality Customer Support: Customer support options are often limited to digital channels or are paid. Additionally, second-level support from the network operator may be needed in case of network malfunctions.
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SIM Card Change: If the virtual operator changes the host network, a SIM card change will be necessary to continue using the subscription.
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If after evaluating the pros and cons of MVNOs, you have decided to proceed with finding and activating a new mobile subscription with this type of mobile provider, you can compare rates on internet-offer.ch for free.
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What are the best MVNO offers in Switzerland?
Below you will find the most clicked offers from virtual mobile operators on our site:
Here are the best mobile subscriptions offered on the market by virtual operators:
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GoMo: CHF 12.95/month, Salt network, maximum speed 375 Mbps.
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Digital Republic Flat Mobile: CHF 18.00/month, 2 GB EU roaming, Sunrise network, maximum speed 50 Mbps.
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Galaxus Mobile CH Unlimited: CHF 19.00/month, 1 GB EU roaming, Sunrise network, maximum speed 50 Mbps.
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swype Swiss: CHF 19.95/month, Sunrise network, maximum speed 2 Gbps.
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Teleboy Swiss: CHF 21.90/month, Sunrise network, maximum speed 50 Mbps.
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Lidl Connect Smart Abo unlimited: CHF 24.90/month, 1 GB EU roaming, Salt network, maximum speed 1.7 Gbps.
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TalkTalk Swiss Flex: CHF 24.95/month, Sunrise network, maximum speed 2 Gbps.
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Wingo Swiss 5G: CHF 27.95/month, Swisscom network, maximum speed 2 Gbps.
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iWay Mobile Classic: CHF 29.00/month, 5 GB EU roaming, Salt network, maximum speed 1.7 Gbps.
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SAK Mobile Plus: CHF 29.00/month, 5 GB EU roaming, Sunrise network, maximum speed 2 Gbps.
This ranking includes only mobile Flatrate with unlimited internet.
For a comprehensive overview, visit the comparison section by clicking the button below:
Which network does my operator use?
In this section, you will find information about the network used by each mobile subscription provider so you can evaluate if the network coverage is the best for your mobile phone use.
Which network does Aldi Suisse Mobile use?
Aldi Suisse Mobile is an MVNO that uses the Sunrise mobile network.
Coop Mobile uses the Swisscom mobile network. Coop Mobile is effectively an airtime reseller MVNO as the SIMs and customer support are provided directly by Swisscom.
Digital Republic is a full MVNO that uses the Sunrise mobile network.
TalkTalk is an MVNO owned by Mobilezone that uses the Sunrise network.
Wingo is Swisscom's low-cost brand and consequently uses the Swisscom network.
M-Budget Mobile is a full MVNO that uses the Swisscom mobile network.
Which network does SAK use?
SAK offers mobile subscriptions on the Sunrise network.
Which network does iWay use?
iWay uses the Salt network to offer its mobile subscriptions.
yallo is Sunrise's budget brand and therefore uses the Sunrise mobile network.
Which network does Lebara use?
Lebara is a Sunrise group brand and uses the Sunrise network to provide its mobile services.
Which network does swype use?
swype is the fully digital MVNO owned by Sunrise, so it uses the Sunrise mobile network.
Which network does Lycamobile use?
Lycamobile is a full MVNO that uses the Salt network to provide telephone services to its customers.
Which network does GoMo use?
GoMo is the budget brand owned by Salt and therefore uses the Salt Mobile network.
Which network does VTX use?
VTX offers its mobile subscriptions via the Salt network.
Which network does Teleboy use?
Teleboy offers mobile subscriptions using the Sunrise network.
Which network does Galaxus Mobile use?
Galaxus Mobile (formerly known as Digitec Connect) uses the Sunrise network.
Which network does Post Mobile use?
Post Mobile, the Swiss Post's phone brand, uses the Salt mobile network.
Which network does Quickline use?
Quickline offers its telephone services on the Sunrise network.
Which network does Lidl Connect use?
Lidl Connect uses the Salt mobile network.
Which network does Mucho Mobile use?
Mucho Mobile uses the Swisscom network to offer its mobile plans.
Which network does MTEL use?
MTEL uses the Salt mobile network.
Which network does UPC use?
Following the merger with Sunrise in 2021, UPC uses the Sunrise mobile network to offer its mobile services..
If you want to find a virtual operator that will help you save on your mobile connection expenses, you can find it for free using the internet-offer.ch site. Select the product and proceed to compare the offers.
Author: Lapo Zarina
Publication: July 2024
Disclaimer: Official websites of mentioned operators, Wikipedia page on Swiss mobile telephony | Proprietary images