Jahresbericht

Annual report

Introduction

Under Article 12a^bis paragraph 2 of the Telecommunications Act, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) monitors the international roaming market and analyses price trends and technical developments. OFCOM compiles roaming statistics that record customer numbers, volumes used (roaming data, SMS and voice call minutes), and revenue generated by the three Swiss mobile network operators through international roaming. This information produces various indicators for comparison over time. These activities ensure transparency and enable OFCOM to fulfil its market monitoring.

Since 2021, OFCOM has collected roaming statistics using a revised questionnaire with more precise categories, including standard tariffs for data roaming. All data for the period before 2021 is included in the attached Excel spreadsheet. Please note that some statistics have been revised and may therefore not be directly comparable to figures from previous publications. Data gaps and outliers from providers have been addressed using standard statistical estimation methods.

The Swiss mobile market continues its trend towards including roaming partially or fully within the basic subscription price (flat rate). The price paid for these subscriptions does not depend on actual usage (voice, SMS, or data roaming). Providers do not record these revenues separately, making separate reporting impossible. To better reflect current market conditions and improve data accuracy, OFCOM has revised its questionnaire in line with the updated Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (OTS) which came into force in 2021.

The new questionnaire enables more detailed recording of actual roaming usage, including for flat-rate offers. Additionally, questions on standard data roaming tariffs have been introduced to provide a more comprehensive view of the pricing landscape.

As mobile broadband services become increasingly prevalent, traditional services (SMS and voice calls) are being replaced by Messenger applications such as Threema and WhatsApp. Both conventional voice calls and SMS now operate via broadband networks wherever technically feasible. This shift highlights the already significant importance of the data roaming service.

Costumers

Since 2021, OFCOM has collected quarterly data from roaming service providers on customer usage, including the number of customers who actually used roaming services, their contract type (postpaid/prepaid) and tariff structure (flat rate/standard tariff/option). However, these figures may be slightly overestimated as customers with flat-rate packages including roaming allowances might travel abroad multiple times within a quarter or make brief calls at standard rates once their included allowance is exhausted. Flat-rate roaming packages continue to grow in popularity. Most Swiss mobile subscribers who use their devices abroad now have subscriptions that include roaming services either fully or partially within their monthly fee. There is also a slight upward trend among users of options or standard tariffs. In 2024, flat-rate and option packages were chosen more frequently than in the previous year, while fewer customers used standard tariffs.

Table 1 : Number of costumers

	2021	2022	2023	2024
Number of customers who actually use roaming – annual total
Flat rate	7'242'768	9'664'063	11'235'538	12'480'161
Postpaid subscription and standard tariff	3'339'613	3'449'720	3'534'988	3'371'419
Postpaid subscription and options	983'770	1'564'894	2'356'760	2'429'439
Prepaid subscriptions and standard tariffs	1'523'634	1'672'077	1'816'990	1'563'605
Prepaid and options	222'394	258'651	330'667	356'863

Evolution of demand for roaming services from customers of Swiss providers

The following table shows annual usage figures: voice calls in millions of minutes, data roaming in gigabytes, and SMS in millions. The vast majority of voice calls made abroad use tariffs where roaming is included in the subscription price regardless of usage (flat rate). Between 2020 and 2024, voice roaming calls declined across all tariff types. In contrast, data service usage grew by 39% annually in 2022/2023 and by 22% in 2023/2024.

The roaming statistics now also identifies data and voice usage while roaming in Europe versus the rest of the world. In 2024, approximately 95% of all roaming voice calls made by Swiss residents occurred in Europe, along with 94% of total roaming data usage.

Table 2: Roaming volume - annual total in GB/min/SMS

	2021	2022	2023	2024
Retail: roaming volume - annual total
Data roaming volume - in GB	33'212'717	53'337'858	74'107'077	90'187'418
Data roaming volume with standard tariff	7'089	12'898	17'681^*	22'042
Data roaming volume with options	3'229'376	5'329'398	5'791'505	6'674'198
Data roaming volume with flat rate	29'976'251	47'995'562	68'297'891	83'491'179
Voice calls in min.	468'813'929	487'659'688	453'472'943	404'319'833
Voice calls at standard tariff	44'310'334	36'112'646	28'679'667	25'074'741
Voice calls with postpaid contract and options	7'837'960	7'792'027	6'525'615	4'594'040
Roaming voice call volume with flat rate	416'665'635	443'755'015	418'267'661	374'651'053
SMS-service	47'135'920	46'797'951	32'133'671	41'609'661
Voice roaming volume - by regions
Voice calls in min. EU	449'514'145	466'217'784	433'439'243	384'711'349
Voice calls in min. ROW	19'299'784	21'441'904	20'033'701	19'608'484
Data roaming volume - by regions
Data roaming volume EU - in GB	31'626'638	50'545'839	70'148'512	85'150'320
Data roaming volume ROW - in GB	1'586'079	2'792'018	3'958'565	5'037'099
Note:
^* The entry for 2023 regarding data roaming volume with standard tariff has been corrected retrospectively (original value: 41,657)

Sales revenue

The 14% year-on-year decline in total revenue in 2022/2023 (see Table 3) resulted from falling revenue across all roaming services. However, the reported revenue includes only income from standard tariffs and options. Revenue from flat-rate tariffs is excluded from this calculation because the revenue cannot be broken down by individual services. Swiss mobile network operators state they cannot provide a reliable estimate of this breakdown. The 2% year-on-year decline in total revenue in 2023/2024 suggests providers have not significantly altered their pricing. The comparison with regional usage figures for the same period is particularly striking (see usage section). In 2024, Swiss consumers' roaming volume outside Europe (ROW) accounted for approximately 5–6% of total roaming volume, yet revenue from these destinations represented 56% of total revenue.

Table 3: Roaming revenue in CHF

	2021	2022	2023	2024
Annual roaming revenue by service
Total revenue	108'232'319	120'034'908	103'886'387	102'182'702
Revenue from data roaming	57'002'279	73'507'175	64'818'789	62'972'214
Revenue from roaming voice calls	42'619'355	38'597'813	32'487'238	32'885'713
Revenue from SMS roaming	8'610'685	7'929'920	6'580'360	6'324'775
Total revenue by regions
Roaming EU revenue	66'678'507	67'886'484	47'573'495	44'961'975
Revenue roaming rest of the world	41'553'812	52'148'424	56'312'891	57'220'727

Average prices for standard tariffs and options since 2017

OFCOM collects quarterly data on revenue and volume for each roaming service, which is used to calculate average prices for voice, data and SMS roaming. However, this analysis covers only standard tariffs and options, as it is not possible to determine average prices for subscriptions with included roaming allowances, as previously explained. Nevertheless, cost analysis remains relevant for standard tariffs and options for several reasons: First, cost-conscious users prefer low-cost subscriptions or prepaid plans and only occasionally use options or standard tariffs when abroad. Additionally, using standard tariffs (sometimes unintentionally) can lead to 'bill shock'. While this is less common due to bundled offers, isolated cases of unpleasant surprises in the form of high roaming bills can still occur after holidays abroad.

The 2024 figures show that all voice call prices across all categories rose compared to the previous year. Voice calls per minute cost on average around six times more with standard tariffs (2020–2024) than with options. To determine whether an option offers genuine value compared to standard tariffs, customers should simulate expected costs using tariff calculators on mobile providers' websites or independent comparison portals.

Average prices for standard data roaming tariffs vary far more widely than for options. The conclusion is therefore obvious: a data roaming option is particularly worthwhile for frequent users.

Table 4: Average price of a roaming service per unit in CHF (minute/SMS/MB)

	2021	2022	2023	2024
Average prices per MB / SMS / min.
Data roaming: Postpaid contract within the EU and standard tariff	2.036	1.077	0.478^*	0.207
Data roaming: Postpaid contract within EU and option	0.007	0.006	0.004	0.004
Data roaming: Prepaid contract within the EU and standard tariff	5.242	1.877	0.922	0.921
Data roaming: Prepaid contract within the EU and option	0.011	0.008	0.016	0.012
Data roaming: Postpaid contract in the rest of the world and standard tariff	10.807	8.413	6.743	4.783
Outgoing calls: Postpaid contract with standard tariff in EU	0.830	0.895	0.755	0.887
Outgoing calls: Postpaid contract with standard tariff in ROW	1.639	1.856	2.170	2.339
Outgoing calls: Postpaid contract with standard tariff	1.002	1.139	1.178	1.353
Outgoing calls: Postpaid contract with option	0.093	0.116	0.274	0.459
Outgoing calls: Prepaid contract with standard tariff	0.689	0.604	0.575	0.598
SMS roaming with standard tariff	0.566	0.565	0.804	0.511
Note:
^* The average price for 2023 for data services with standard tariffs in the EU has been corrected retrospectively (original value was 0.190)

Difference between minutes paid for and minutes used

The effect of regulation introduced in mid-2021 is clearly visible in the chart below. The figure drops from 19.2% in 2020 to 10.6% in 2021 and finally to 3.3% in 2022, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of this regulatory measure for consumers. The new regulation means the gap between paid and used call minutes has narrowed considerably. However, the percentage will never reach 0, as Article 10c paragraph 1 letter a OTS allows providers to charge for the first 30 seconds of each call to cover connection costs.

Table 5: Difference between call minutes paid and minutes consumed

	2021	2022	2023	2024
Ratio in percentage figures
Minutes actually billed / minutes actually consumed in percentage	10.6%	3.3%	4.8%	6.7%
Note:
E.g. 10%: 10 minutes actually on the phone, but 11 minutes were actually billed