Swedes pay more than neighbors for mobile broadband

Radio Sweden
Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 17:51 — Last Updated: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 18:32
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Surfing on a smartphone is more expensive in Sweden than other Nordic nations. (iStock)

Surfing on a cellphone costs Swedes more than users in neighboring Nordic lands, according to a price review.

Swedish Television found that Swedish telecom operators offer customers in Denmark, Finland and even Norway more generous contracts for mobile broadband than at home. Customers in neighboring countries often received unlimited data for surfing while in Sweden, there are caps how much data one can use in a certain amount of time.

One example is TeliaSonera. In Sweden, the company’s customers pay SEK 399 a month for 40 gigabytes. In Finland, the price is SEK 199 a month for unlimited browsing.

Telecom operators defend differences

According to the report, Swedish customers in the Torne Valley, which lies at the border with Finland, are choosing Finnish contracts due to its better offers.

Telecom operators defended the differences, saying different conditions apply in different countries and affect the overall price of using mobile phones.

“Sweden is considerably larger than Denmark and has a different geography, which affects the cost of the network,” Telia spokeswoman Irene Krohn told the broadcaster. “In Denmark, the downward pressure on prices is greater in the telecom industry.”