O2 wants to increase prices for mobile phone contracts – by up to 10 percent
For reasons of competition, many mobile phone providers have rarely increased their prices in recent years. With O2, a provider is now daring again and could initiate a trend reversal in mobile communications. Are Telekom and Vodafone following suit?
In many areas, consumer prices in Germany rose more sharply in the past year than they have in a long time. So far, however, the mobile communications industry has been seen as the exception rather than the rule. But that could change soon. Because like that Handelsblatt reported, with O2, another company is now stalking ahead and wants to increase its prices by up to 10 percent in the spring.
The brand of the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica could thus initiate a veritable trend reversal in the mobile communications industry. Because: Other providers are likely to follow. Telekom informed the Handelsblatt, for example, that the company is keeping “all options” open when it comes to price increases. Vodafone declined to comment.
Price increase at O2: A trend reversal in the mobile industry?
Markus Haas, CEO of Telefónica Deutschland, said: “In contrast to the past, better performance at the same price is no longer possible”. Because according to Haas, the necessary investments for the network expansion are too high to maintain the usual practice.
So far, numerous providers have added more and more services such as integrated streaming services or increasing data volumes to their tariffs – with the same basic prices. According to reports, the services included in the tariffs will continue to increase, but at higher prices.
How exactly O2 wants to design its new tariffs is so far unclear. However, the company announced that in the long term all contracts should include access to the 5G network. For CEO Haas, it is important that it is not a matter of “flat price premiums”.
Mobile communications: Procedure for existing customers still unclear
In the spring, the prices of the Telefónica brands O2 and Blau are to rise by up to ten percent. Initially, the increase will only apply to new customers. The first adjustments are again planned for prepaid offers. It is not yet clear how the company intends to deal with current contracts and its existing customers.
It is true that there have already been occasional price increases in the mobile communications sector in the past. However, in most cases only prepaid tariffs were affected. However, O2’s announcement stands out insofar as the company apparently wants to increase the prices for several tariffs and above all for its contracts.
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