The sharp price increase has a broad impact and is expected to have a major impact on the tariffs of mobile phone providers in addition to energy and food. The Chamber of Commerce expects sharp price increases in this segment in the coming year. Not only the base rates may be affected by the increases, but also the service charges.
That is possible thanks to value protection clauses and index adjustment in mobile phone contracts, the AK said in a broadcast on Tuesday. “It is still relatively quiet on the market for mobile communication. But next year the inflation hammer will hit many mobile phone users: indoors because of the high inflation,” according to the broadcast.
The three major providers Drei, Magenta and A1 have been anchoring index clauses for base fees in their contracts for years, as well as for service flat rates and other services. These clauses then come into effect when inflation reaches a certain threshold. There is no special right of termination due to price increases if such a clause exists, according to the AK, with reference to an OGH ruling.
Due to the low inflation of recent years, this has not been a major problem so far, but due to the rapidly rising prices, providers are likely to increase their rates considerably in 2023, the AK expects. She therefore advises consumers to check their contracts for such clauses. Alternative providers such as Spusu, Hot or Yesss usually do not have indexing in the contracts and do not charge fixed service rates. Another option is to conclude a new mobile phone contract at the beginning of 2023, because then the prices could only be adjusted to inflation for the first time in 2024.
Source: Krone
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