 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello everyone,
Can anyone give me some info on mobile phone coverage in Austrian Alps (specifically Kitz). I have a contract phone while wife has pay as u go. Last year in Arinsal, network switched to Movistar and worked fine most of the time.
Many thanks
3 weeks and counting.... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've not actually skied in Kitzbuhl, but I've skied several times in nearby (<30km away) resorts (Saalbach, Zell am See, Kaprun).
My experience has always been that you get coverage almost everywhere on the mountain.
As Austria is almost entirely covered by mountains, I guess their phone network has always been designed with mountains in mind.
Also - I bet a mobile base-station in Kitz probably earns its keep several times over in roaming charges!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Phone provider in Ellmau was T mobile coverage was good I don't know about charges because I haven't had a bill yet.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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big k, I used my phone (Virgin network) in Bad Gastein a few weeks ago with no problems. Can't remember the charges exactly, but it was a bit pricey. Better coverage than here - I must be the only idiot with a mobile phone that doesn't work when I'm at home!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Again, not Kitz but Austria. I visit St Anton all the time and never have a problem with coverage on my contract phone - just the bills I rack up
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Think about it.
You are a big mobile company and have some cash to spend on transmitters - where do you put them?
How about in an area with a high density of people?
How about in an area where a high percentage of those people are on foreign networks - where their phones will pick up and use the strongest service?
How about in an area where most people are on holiday and want to phone/text their friends to rub it in?
How about in an are where people want to co-ordinate meeting up etc?
I'd put my transmitters in a ski area and make sure i had better coverage than my competitors.
Most ski resorts have very good mobile coverage. (Cue messages about where there was poor coverage...)
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big k, Coverage in Kitz is pretty much 100% on the pistes. At least it has worked everywhere that I've tried it so far.
hobbiteater. Correct. The operators even go so far as to configure their base stations in such a way that mobiles get fooled into staying on a network even when it should in fact not have useable coverage, thereby preventing the mobile from switching to a competitors network. They do this around other similar places, e.g international airports, as well!
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Mike Lawrie,
You're clearly well informed on the subject so, if it's OK with you, I'll take this opportunity of sneaking in my own related question.
Do pay-as-you-go phones generally work abroad (specifically Valmeinier in France, but that's probably asking too much - even of you!)? Do I need to ring (!) anyone to get the service activated like you used to years ago or can I just assume it'll work?
Thanks
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You can buy a pay-as-you-go sim card in Austria and sling it into your (unlocked) phone. Worth it if you're visitng there a fair bit or just make lotsa calls
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Red Leon, I'm not too well informed about all the different tarifs and billing models that the network operators have. I just work on the design side of mobile phones, not the commercial side.
I know that here in Germany most of the prepaid (pay as you go) cards don't allow roaming to other networks for the simple reason that the billing between the network you are roaming on and your home network doesn't work in real time. Also the way that prepaid SIMs are managed differs from one network to the other. Some store the money you have left on the SIM and count it down locally in the phone, others handle the money counters in the network itself. That would mean that you might end up being able to use more money than you have paid for on your card, or might even be able to phone for free. Not something the network operators like to see!
If you want to use a pay as you go card then you probably have to do what BOOthy suggests and buy one locally. The phone you are using would have to be one that is not tied to a particular operator, as BOOthy also pointed out.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for the help folks
Hobbiteater, how cynical of you to think those nice mobile phone companies would try to rip us off!!
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