A new study by German magazine Connect has found that Swiss mobile phone providers are among the best in the German-speaking world. The internet in Switzerland was praised for its speed and consistency, but some data providers have started to fall behind their competitors in Germany and Austria.

Mobile network ranking by Connect

The annual internet test by Connect, once dubbed the “Oscars for mobile networks” by Basler Zeitung, is a ranking of how fast, widespread and consistent mobile phone providers are in providing their services. The ranking covers the largest internet and phone providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

To find out which connection was best, the magazine tested the speed and quality of each network in several different areas: voice calling, 5G rollout, data transmission and how the network deals with a large number of users. This was measured by equipping vehicles with multiple smartphones, which were then driven through 47 Swiss cities and many others in Germany and Austria, to see which data network was the fastest and most consistent. 

Swiss mobile phone network the best in German-speaking world

With 970 points out of a possible 1.000, Swisscom was named the best mobile network in the German-speaking world for the fifth time in a row. The international company had the best results in the data, 5G and usage categories, earning it an “outstanding grade” overall in the ranking for 2023.

Elsewhere, Sunrise UPC was unable to mimic its performance from the 2022 ranking, placing behind Austrian provider Magenta to be ranked third with 959 points. According to Connect, Sunrise lost its place because the network occasionally struggles to connect to the internet, especially in tunnels and on public transport. 

Finally, Salt., the smallest provider in Switzerland, came in sixth place overall. The magazine explained the testing criteria have become stricter since last year, which is why all of the scores have gotten worse.

Swiss data network praised for speed and lack of dead spots

Overall, Connect said that the Swiss mobile network was the best at providing high-quality internet connections, whether it be in cities, towns, villages or up mountains. They concluded that internet speeds are typically faster than in other countries and that there are fewer service “dead spots” in Switzerland than there are in Germany and Austria.

Best mobile phone providers in Switzerland

Overall, these were the top nine mobile providers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria the ranking for 2023:

1. Swisscom (Switzerland)
2. Magenta (Austria)
3. Sunrise UPC (Switzerland)
4. Deutsche Telekom (Germany)
5. A1 (Austria)
6. Salt. (Switzerland)
7. Vodafone (Germany)
8. Hutchinson 3G (Austria)
9. Telefónica (Germany)

For more information about the ranking, please consult the Connect website.