Short answer
This glossary explains 35 terms, found in Swiss mobile, internet and TV contracts — in 6 groups from plan and cost to network and data through to abroad and landline.
The three most common misunderstandings: «Unlimited» refers to the domestic data allowance, not the speed. «No minimum term» means no minimum term, but there may still be a notice period. And the EU roaming regulation does not apply to Swiss plans.
The essentials at a glance
- 35 terms from Swiss mobile, internet and TV contracts, grouped by topic.
- Three networks in Switzerland: Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt — all other brands use one of these.
- Unlimited refers to the data allowance domestically, not to speed or roaming.
- The Switzerland is not part of EU roaming regulation — abroad, the provider's tariff conditions always apply.
Contract & costs
Plan (postpaid)
Contract with a monthly bill in arrears. Usually includes benefits such as unlimited calls and a data allowance. The counterpart is prepaid, where credit is loaded in advance.
Promotional price / Promo
A time- or contract-limited special price for new customers. Once it expires, the significantly higher regular price often applies — the main reason to note the contract end date in your calendar.
Minimum term
The period during which the contract cannot be terminated in the normal way — in Switzerland usually 12 or 24 months. Plans without a minimum term are called "no minimum term".
Notice period
Notice period that must be observed for a cancellation before the desired end of the contract. For Swiss mobile plans with a contract term, 60 days (two months) is common.
Contract renewal
Automatic renewal of the contract if not cancelled in time — usually for a further 12 months or indefinitely with a monthly cancellation option.
SIM-only
Plan without a subsidised device. Only the SIM card or eSIM is supplied; you bring your own phone. Usually significantly cheaper than a plan with a device.
Network & Provider
Network operator
Providers with their own mobile network and their own radio licence. In Switzerland, these are Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt.
MVNO
Mobile Virtual Network Operator — a provider without its own network that buys capacity from a network operator. Network quality matches the host network.
Budget brand
A network operator's discount brand with leaner service and lower prices on the identical network: Yallo and Lebara run on the Sunrise network, Wingo on the Swisscom network, Post Mobile on the Salt network.
4G / LTE
Fourth-generation mobile standard. Available in Switzerland from all three network operators with around 99% population coverage and fast enough for most applications.
5G
Current mobile standard with higher speeds and lower latency. Rollout is focused on cities and agglomerations. Many plans include 5G at no extra cost.
Network coverage
Share of area or population covered by a network. For choosing a plan, the coverage at your home and work address matters more than the national average.
VoLTE / Wi-Fi calling
Calls over the 4G network or over a WLAN connection. WLAN Call helps with poor reception at home, because the call runs over the internet.
Data & usage
Data allowance
Monthly included data amount in gigabytes (GB). After use, depending on the plan, speed is throttled, access is blocked, or additional data is booked automatically.
Unlimited / flat rate
Unlimited data allowance on the Swiss network. What may remain limited are the maximum speed, the hotspot allowance and use abroad.
Throttling
Reduction of transmission speed — either permanently as a plan feature or after the inclusive allowance has been used up. The connection remains in place but becomes slower.
Fair use policy
Clause that ties «unlimited» use to a reasonable level. In Switzerland, this is mainly relevant for roaming; hard limits are rare domestically.
Automatic data top-up
Automatic top-up of data packages once the allowance is used up — usually chargeable. Can be deactivated in the customer account with most providers.
Hotspot / tethering
Sharing the mobile internet connection with other devices such as a laptop or tablet. Some plans limit the data allowance usable for this separately.
SIM & number
eSIM
Digitally writable SIM permanently built into the device. Enables switching providers without shipping a card and running multiple profiles in parallel on one device.
Dual-SIM
Using two SIM profiles simultaneously on one phone — for example private and business, or a Swiss plan plus a local SIM abroad.
Multi-SIM
An additional SIM with the same phone number and the same data allowance, typically for a smartwatch or tablet.
Number porting
Porting an existing phone number to a new provider. The process is handled by the new provider; the old contract is automatically terminated in the process — so don't cancel it yourself beforehand.
SIM lock
Lock that ties a subsidised device to a provider. Not relevant for SIM-only plans.
Abroad
Roaming
Using your phone on a foreign network abroad. Depending on the plan, this is covered by an included allowance or billed separately.
EU roaming
Roaming within EU countries. The EU regulation "Roam like at home" does not apply to Swiss plans — Swiss providers may charge additional fees.
Roaming zone
Country group with its own price level. Zone 1 usually covers the EU, while more distant countries fall into significantly more expensive zones. The provider determines the classification.
Day pass
A time-limited roaming package that is only charged on days of use. For occasional trips, usually cheaper than a plan with a permanent roaming surcharge.
Cost brake
Adjustable limit at which data usage abroad is stopped or a warning is triggered. Protects against unexpectedly high bills.
Internet & TV at home
Fibre (FTTH)
Connection via fibre-optic cable right into the home. Highest speeds, symmetrical upload — but not available everywhere.
Cable internet
Internet via the TV cable network. High download rates with usually weaker upload; bandwidth is shared within the segment.
DSL
Internet via the telephone line. The most widespread, but slower than fibre and cable; performance decreases with line length.
Download and upload
Speed when receiving or sending data, given in Mbit/s. For video calls, cloud backups and working from home, upload matters more than many expect.
Replay TV
Function that lets you access programmes after broadcast — depending on the package, up to several days retroactively.
Bundle plan
Bundle of mobile and internet plan with the same provider, usually with a discount. Only worthwhile compared to the sum of two separately chosen offers.
Where these terms come up in everyday life
The buying advice assumes the following terms: Best mobile plan in Switzerland sorts 79 plans by user type, Unlimited mobile plans shows where «unlimited» has limits, EU roaming explains the allowances, and Internet and TV covers the 16 offers for home.
Detailed background articles can be found in the Blog — among others to eSIM, Number porting, Cancellation, 5G and Budget brands.
How this page is made
Die Tarifdaten werden jede Nacht automatisch von den offiziellen Anbieter-Websites eingelesen und in unsere Datenbank geschrieben. Preise, Kontingente und Laufzeiten auf dieser Seite geben den Stand vom 6. Oktober 2026 wieder und werden bei jeder Aktualisierung neu berechnet.
The definitions describe the practice usual in Switzerland. In individual cases, what is stated in the T&Cs and product description of the respective provider is always decisive.
handy·abo is an offer by MARKTIX AG and is financed through referral commissions. All price and service information in the tables corresponds to the collected provider data. In case of equivalent offers — i.e. with nearly identical price and scope of services — we list partner providers first; the provider highlighted as «Editorial recommendation» is an editorial assessment and not the result of a purely computational evaluation. Where the text refers to the «cheapest» plan, it always means the actually cheapest one. Details in the Affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
From theory to plan
Compare all 79 mobile plans and 16 internet packages with daily prices.