Mobile telecommunication in Austria

Most Austrians tend to carry their cell phones with them all the time. Using mobile telecommunication is the most common way of communicating with persons who are not around. There are different ways of using mobile telecommunication in a responsible way and a few things should be considered in everyday life

There are different ways of communicating with our fellows when they are not nearby. Radio equipment is among the most frequently used means of communication. In this case, data are transmitted wirelessly over the air.  On the one hand, there are fixed stations like, for example, stations of rescue organisations, but also marine and aeronautical radio. On the other hand, however, there are also mobile stations, like cell phones or walkie talkies.

The most frequent radio equipment in our daily life are cell phones. Cell phones are mobile radio devices. To be able to make a phone call after having purchased and charged the cell phone, the SIM card has to be activated. The cell phone will then dial up the network of a provider. In Austria, different mobile phone companies offer their services.

Using mobile phones with prepaid card or contract

An option is to use a cell phone with a prepaid card. In this case the calling credit has to be recharged regularly. Alternatively, the cellular can also be used on the basis of a cell phone contract. This contract is signed for a specific period of time and the call charges are paid on a monthly basis. Since 1 January 2019 customers purchasing a cardphone have to register their prepaid SIM cards for identification purposes. There are different possibilities: Either you present your identity documents at the shop of the mobile phone provider, as it has to be done in the case of contract tariffs. Alternatively, you can use an online identification procedure, like the photo identification procedure. For further and more detailed information, see the internet pages of the mobile phone companies.

Use of mobile phones in everyday life

There are a few important things one should remember when using a cell phone in everyday life: If possible, one should not carry the mobile phone directly on the body. Cell phones should not be placed in bedrooms, either. A cell phones is a small, though very useful, radio equipment which is constantly in operation and emits “radio waves”. If you keep this in mind, nothing will affect the safe use of your cell phone. Depending on the type of cell phone you use, you may profit of the 3G, 4G, or even the 5G network in Austria.