Austria is located in the center of Europe. Its capital, Vienna, is a city full of artistry, known as the “City of Music,” where classical music flourishes.
The streets of Vienna, the city of music. This is an elegant shop called "Mozart Cafe"The old and new buildings blend together in a townscape. The scenery is artistically beautiful, and trams and trolleybuses run busily through it. Many shops are named after the famous musician Mozart. The currency is the euro. Public transportation has a common fare of 2 euros (approximately 242 yen as of March 31, 2013; the same shall apply hereinafter) for one ride, and if you are visiting for sightseeing, it is advantageous to purchase a 24-hour free pass for 6.9 euros (approximately 837 yen). As of the end of March 2013, the exchange rate was approximately 121.3 yen to 1 euro.
Austria is adjacent to Germany and has a culture that is relatively similar to Germany as it uses the German language, but in some places you can feel that it is a different country from Germany. For example, sausages sold at stands in the city are sold in the style of hot dogs, in which French bread is hollowed out with a stick and sausage is put in it. This is rarely seen in Germany. The schnitzel sandwich, which is a thin cutlet "schnitzel" sandwiched between bread, is also popular in Vienna.
Compared to the trams you see in European cities, Vienna's trains are long. An easy-to-eat schnitzel sandwich. It's deliciousThe sales method for prepaid SIM cards is also very different between Germany and Austria. In Germany, user registration is required, and depending on the store, you may have to wait in line, so it took quite a while to register (overseas prepaid SIM + wireless LAN router introduction manual back number - "Germany, Berlin" edition).
On the other hand, prepaid SIM cards are freely sold in Austria, and registration is not required. Available immediately after purchase. However, prepaid products for terminals such as prepaid mobile phones and prepaid USB modems are less diverse and slightly more expensive than in major German cities. Communication lines are easy to obtain, but terminals are rather expensive and there are few types. This is the trend in Vienna.
There are four major companies in Austria. They are Mobilkom Austria, which operates under the A1 brand, which has the largest market share, T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France, and Hutchison 3G Austria, which operates extensively in the United Kingdom. In addition to 3G, each company also offers postpaid LTE services, but as of March 2013, only 3G was available as prepaid.
There are also several MVNO companies. In Vienna, I was able to find stores of each company along Kärntnerstrasse, which runs north-south in one of the downtown areas called "Rink". In addition, there is a German consumer electronics store "MediaMarkt" at Vienna Central Station, where you can purchase mobile phone related products. However, shops close around 18:00 or 19:00 and are closed on Sundays.
A1 with the largest market share. The store seems to be always crowded (pictured on the left) Orange is well known in Europe. Unfortunately, data-only SIM cards were not available. It's best to use a voice SIM card with a data package attached (photo = right) Hutchison, which is also sold in the UK and other countries under the "3" brand (photo = left) Also available at local IT mass retailers They sell related products, but the lineup of prepaid products is not good (photo = right)As for the data communication charges of each company, three companies other than Orange sell prepaid SIM cards exclusively for data communication. and the price is reasonable. Of these, A1 is 19.9 euros (about 2417 yen) / communication volume up to 1 GB. On the other hand, T-Mobile was guided to 10 euros (about 1214 yen) / communication volume of up to 1 GB on the company's website, but when you actually visit the store, you can use data up to 10 euros / communication volume of 3 GB. The volume had tripled. It is considerably cheap if it becomes about 400 yen per 1GB. By the way, it seems that each company has reduced the price from the middle of March 2013, and as of the end of March 2013, the companies are almost in line, and Hutchison has also introduced a flat-rate plan.
The store is always crowded, probably because A1 has the largest market share. T-Mobile, on the other hand, may be the most affordable for international travelers because it only offers one product.
| Data-only prepaid SIM charges for Austrian operators | Maximum data traffic (maximum speed) | >Expiration date | Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 3GB | 12 Months | 20 euros (about 2425 yen) |
| 3GB | 30 days | 10 euros ( 1212 yen) | |
| T-Mobile | 3GB | 30 days | 10 euros (approximately 1212 yen) |
| Hutchison | 1GB (up to 2Mbps) | 30 days | 4 euros ( 485 yen) |
| 10 Gbytes (up to 2 Mbps) | 30 days | 9 euros (about 1091 yen) | |
| Fixed rate (up to 4Mbps) | 30 days | 15 euros (about 1818 yen) | |
| Fixed rate (up to 5Mbps) | 30 days | 29 euros (about 3516 yen) | |