When it comes to mobile technology, Austria is usually the place where things happen first. Not surprising therefore, that Mobile Internet offers are not only on the front page of most mobile operators web sites but also being marketed out in the open now. Take a look at the picture on the left. When I was in Austria recently, there was an advertisement of ONE for their H.U.I. mobile Internet access offer at almost every bus stop I passed. T-Mobile is also putting large advertising banners in cities to market their latest offer of €0.- basic charge and 10 cents per Megabyte of HSDPA traffic (post paid).
A reason for promoting the mobile Internet so fiercely these days might be that the operators don’t have have much to advertise for anymore in the voice domain since Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO’s) have caused a landslide in prices for voice minutes.
One of the things still missing in Austria is Internet access via prepaid SIMs. Let’s hope that will follow soon as well. Some German MVNO’s have set a good example.