A1 Austria Review: It Is Not Exceptional (+Speedtests)

In March 2022, I decided to go on a big trip.

I visited Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia & Slovenia within a month.

Why? Because I wanted to try out SIM cards (again).

Yeah… I am that type of person – welcome to Phone Travel Wiz 🤪.

I went for such an intensive trip because I stayed home for a year since March 2021 because of travel restrictions.

Before March 2021, I was a year in Taiwan, where life was basically normal during the first year of pandemic.

So it was a good time for be while the whole world was basically on fire 😳.

Since early 2022, travel restrictions were being lifted throughout the European Union, so it was an excellent excuse to travel around the union.

That gave me the opportunity to (re-)test 41 local SIM cards, like A1 Austria, Airalo's Eurolink Europe eSIM, Nomad's Europe eSIM & SimCorner's Europe travel SIM cards.

And because my partner wanted me back in Australia as soon as possible after not seeing him for two years and the country reopening for select travelers (including myself), I had to cram in as many destinations within a month before heading to Australia.

If you have read any of my SIM card buying guides before, like the Austrian one, or watched a YouTube video of mine, you know that I am crazy enough to buy and test so many SIM cards.

If this is your first Phone Travel Wiz review – welcome.

I buy and test all/most SIM cards in a country and tell you which ones are the best so that you do not have to 😎.

You may have some experience with A1 already.

A1 is active in Belarus, various Central European countries and the Balkans, where it is often the best or second-best option in the country.

So what about Austria, where A1 is from? Is A1 Austria any good?

The only way to find out is to test A1 Austria and compare it with the other Austrian SIM cards (Magenta Telekom Austria and Drei Austria).

And that is what I did – and I will share my experience in this review.

Let's get started, shall we?

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Original publication: 18^th of October 2022. Last updated: 15^th of January 2024.

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Table of Contents

Who is A1 Austria?

You may have heard of A1 before, although it used to be known as Vip in some countries.

A1 is still active in various European countries, leading those with A1 services at home to try out A1 abroad.

In the case of A1, you will often be fine when you do so, as A1's performance is often one of the best in the country.

Anyway, A1 Austria, officially A1 Telekom, is the largest mobile operator in the country.

This means that it should often have the best coverage, fastest speeds, or both

You will find out if that is the case throughout this review – but first, let's cover some background information.

In Austria, you have three mobile operators:

• A1 Austria
• Magenta Telekom (formerly T-Mobile Austria)
• Drei (3) Austria

Of course, I tested the other two mobile operators during my trip to Austria in March. You can read them here: Magenta Telekom Austria and Drei Austria.

You also have many Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), like Lycamobile Austria, but they are honestly not worth your time.

Let's talk about A1 Austria's coverage first, after these quick frequency details:

• 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
• 3G: 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 800 MHz (Band 20), 1800 MHz (Band 3) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 3500 MHz (n78) – not for prepaid customers (yet)
• VoLTE: Yes
• VoWiFi: Yes

Here you have A1 Austria's APN settings:

• Name: A1
• APN: A1.net
• Username: [email protected]
• Password: ppp

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

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A1 Austria Coverage + My Experience

You can have a mobile operator providing you 1 Gbps download speeds.

But it will be useless if it covers only one street in Austria.

So, how is A1 Austria's coverage?

Regarding 4G/LTE availability, A1 Austria has the second-best availability, with an availability score of 97.3%. Ahead of Drei Austria (97.1%) but behind Magenta Telekom (98.3%).

When looking at 5G NR, A1 Austria is also winning the 5G NR availability race (13.1%) with Magenta Telekom (13.6%), followed by Drei Austria (9.5%).

When we look at 5G NR reach, A1 Austria is also doing well, with a reach score of 4 (on a 10-point scale). Ahead of Drei Austria (2.4) but behind Magenta Telekom (4.3).

So far, I have been talking about coverage from other reports, but what was my coverage experience with A1 Austria?

It was excellent, honestly – I had nothing to complain about.

I do not recall having many reception blackspots – not even on the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Vienna.

But also on the bus to and from Slovakia – reception at the border was still strong (although it slowly switched to 3G… but that is common at borders).

Here you have an A1 Austria coverage map produced by Speedtest:

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How to Get an A1 Austria SIM Card & Prices

Now that you have a basic understanding of A1 Austria and the telecom market in Austria, it is now time to talk about how to actually get an A1 Austria SIM card.

Like many countries in Europe, especially the European Union, I recommend visiting an A1 Austria store to get your SIM card.

That is because of the SIM card registration laws in Austria – SIM card registration is mandatory.

Oh… and you often have to pay to get your SIM card registered – more about that later.

Austrian SIM cards are also sold by third parties, like grocery stores or convenience stores like in many other countries.

But they may not always have the best starter pack deals lying around.

Anyway, here is an A1 Austria store locator.

But be aware that A1 Austria SIM cards are not sold at Vienna International Airport (VIE).

There is a SIM card reseller (Wowww) charging 20 EUR for a SIM card and 20 EUR for registration alone (40 EUR) – and then you still need to add a plan! So you better avoid it.

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Disclaimer: the SIM card prices mentioned in the review were current when I was in Austria – the offering and prices may have changed since then. To see A1 Austria's current starter packs, check out my Austria SIM card buying guide.

Before I continue, I do want to talk a bit more about SIM card registration in Austria.

In the majority of (European) countries, SIM card registration schemes exist – those can (often) not be avoided, unfortunately.

What is infuriating about Austria (and Germany) is that the mobile operators may charge you for registration.

Yes… pay for something that is mandated by law!

Luckily… the registration fee is often not as outrageous at Vienna International Airport (20 EUR), but I still find paying for registration insulting.

A1 Austria charges 5 EUR for registration on top of the SIM card starter pack.

Magenta Telekom and Drei Austria charge 10 EUR, so A1 Austria is generous 🙄.

Even then, there is a way to avoid paying this fee: by registering your SIM card online.

I did this with my Drei Austria SIM card (because paying 10 EUR is outrageous), but because part of the registration process is in German and the verification software is slow as hell, it can be a time-consuming process.

It took me 30 minutes with my broken German – that is why I was eventually willing to pay the A1 registration fee (5 EUR) afterward (but also because I had only one day in Vienna… I did not feel like spending an hour on registration 🗿).

Alright – back to how to get an A1 Austria Telekom SIM card, lol (but it is vital to be aware of the registration fees or how to avoid them).

I got my A1 Austria SIM card in Vienna at Keplerplatz.

This is the same square where I got my Magenta Telekom and Drei Austria SIM cards.

There was a short wait before I was attended.

I asked for a B.free Internet Wertkarte, with 5 GB of data for 28 days, costing 9.90 EUR.

You can also get the regular SIM card, B.free Wertkarte, also for 9.90 EUR, but you get 5000 units instead (where 1 unit equals 1 MB, 1 local minute, or 1 local SMS).

Because SIM card registration was done in-store, for a 5 EUR service fee, the SIM card was activated instantly.

If you register your SIM card online, it can take a few minutes before it is active (but you will receive an SMS when it is active – in German of course).

Oh, be aware that not all passports are accepted for online registration. I do not have a list of unsupported countries… but if registration does not work after two or three tries, then you know why. And many A1 stores will happily charge to help you out 🥲.

When I was in Vienna, A1 Austria did not offer eSIMs to prepaid customers.

And I do not think they will do so anytime soon.

But if you think that paying for SIM card registration is outrageous or really want to use an eSIM in Austria, you can consider getting a travel eSIM for Austria.

I tried out Airalo's Eurolink eSIM in Austria (on the Drei Austria network) and the Nomad Europe eSIM (also on the Drei Austria network)

They worked well (and were cheaper than Austrian SIM cards when taking SIM card prices, registration fees & plans into account).

Anyway, I compare the best Austria travel eSIMs in my comparison guide and drop a few discount codes for you 😏.

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A1 Austria Plans, Bundles & Offers

A1 Austria has three data-featured prepaid plans:

• B.free Tarife (combo)
• B.free Internet (data for data-only SIM card)
• Data Add-Ons

All A1 Austria plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to the corresponding number.

Disclaimer: these were the available plans at the time I was in Austria – the offering may have changed since then (including whether 5G NR is available to prepaid customers or not). To see A1 Austria's current plans, check out my Austria SIM card buying guide (which gets updated regularly – at least once a year).

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

B.free Tarife

The B.free Tarife (tariffs) are combo plans with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Text the Activation Code to the corresponding number to activate B.free Tarife:

Price	Plan	Data	EU/EEA Data	Local Minutes	Local/EU Minutes	International (EU) Minutes	Local SMS	Local/EU SMS	International (EU) SMS	Validity	Activation Code
10 EUR	B.free XS	6 GB	N/A	1000 minutes	N/A	N/A	1000 SMS	N/A	N/A	28 days	JA to 2976
15 EUR	B.free S	15 GB	N/A	1000 minutes	N/A	N/A	1000 SMS	N/A	N/A	28 days	JA to 2977
20 EUR	B.free M	18 GB	14 GB	2000 minutes	Shared with local call allowance	100 minutes	2000 SMS	Shared with local call allowance	100 SMS	28 days	JA to 2978
30 EUR	B.free L	30 GB	20 GB	3000 minutes	Shared with local call allowance	150 minutes	3000 SMS	Shared with local call allowance	150 SMS	28 days	JA to 2979

B.free Internet Plans

The B.free Internet Plans are data bundles (without 5G NR access) for the B.free data-only SIM card.

B.free Internet Plans can be activated on the Mein A1 app:

Price	Plan	Data	Speed	Validity
10 EUR	B.free Data S	8 GB	50 Mbps/10 Mbps	28 days
22 EUR	B.free Data L	20 GB	100 Mbps/20 Mbps	28 days
28 EUR	B.free Data Unlimited	Unlimited	20 Mbps/5 Mbps	28 days

Data Add-Ons

The Data Add-Ons are, as the name suggests, data add-ons. They cannot be purchased as standalone plans.

Text the Activation Code to the corresponding number to activate Add-Ons:

Price	Data	Validity	Activation Code
0.90 EUR	Unlimited	1 hour	SURFH to 2099
5 EUR	1 GB	28 days	JA to 2945
7 EUR	3 GB	28 days	JA to 2933
9 EUR	5 GB	28 days	JA to 2934
13 EUR	10 GB	28 days	JA to 2935

EU Roaming

You can use your A1 Austria allowances in the following EU/EEA member states without paying roaming fees:

Be aware that, in some cases, the EU/EEA roaming allowance is lower than the domestic allowances.

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A1 Austria Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check

A1 Austria top-up vouchers are sold in A1 stores, grocery stores, corner shops & electronics shops throughout Austria.

I did not have to recharge my A1 Austria SIM card because Austria was a short stop on my one-month Europe trip.

But I will still let you know about topping up your A1 Austria SIM card.

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A1 Austria Speed Test Results (in Vienna)

Alright, now it is time to talk about the speeds you can expect with A1 Austria after covering all the other essential topics like coverage.

But before I share my eight speed test results in Vienna, I want to set the stage first and make a small comparison with A1 Austria's competition.

A1 Austria is regarded by Speedtest as the fastest mobile operator in Austria in Q1 of 2022.

With a median download speed of 69.80 Mbps, A1 Austria is ahead of Drei Austria (53.73 Mbps) and Magenta Telekom (47.07 Mbps).

However, when we look at 5G NR, A1 Austria (123.35 Mbps) is slower than Magenta Telekom (161.10) and way behind Drei Austria (267.86 Mbps).

Unfortunately, 5G NR is not available to prepaid customers (yet).

But even when 5G NR is opened up to A1 Austria prepaid customers, you probably still will not experience full 5G NR speeds (up to 1 Gbps – more about that later).

Okay, those were valuable insights – let's talk about my speed test results now.

I did speed tests with the Speedtest app at various test locations in Vienna.

Here are the results:

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My Overall Experience with A1 Austria – Is It Any Good?

I would recommend A1 Austria, but it may not be my first choice.

Getting an A1 Austria SIM card was straightforward, and activation was quick (especially when I had to pay 5 EUR for registration).

A1 Austria has extensive 4G/LTE and 5G NR availability in Austria.

However, 5G NR was unavailable to prepaid customers when I was in Austria.

While A1 Austria has relatively generous data-featured prepaid plans for Austrian and regional standards, you have to pay at least 20 EUR for a B.free plan to be allowed to get download speeds of up to 100 Mbps – the cheaper plans restrict you to 20 Mbps or 50 Mbps.

Unfortunately, this is a standard in Austria – luckily, most countries do not impose speed restrictions (for prepaid customers).

Because of these speed restrictions, I could not experience A1 Austria's raw performance.

But at least I got a median download speed of 20 Mbps of the maximum of 20Mbps imposed on my plan; I was satisfied with the results (even though A1 is supposed to have the fastest 4G/LTE speeds in the country).

With extensive coverage and relatively generous data-featured prepaid plans, there is nothing crazy to complain about A1 Austria.

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Austrian SIM Card Reviews

As mentioned earlier, I also tried out Magenta Telekom and Drei Austria when I was in Austria.

You should read those reviews too.

>>> Magenta Telekom Review | Drei Austria Review <<<

Later, I will make a comparison post of the three Austrian SIM cards I tried… but that will take a while (I have many reviews of other countries that I still need to write, so they are prioritized).

But you can still make an educated purchased after reading the Austrian SIM card reviews.

Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other European SIM cards from this trip.

Austria SIM Card Buying Guide

There are more than ten SIM cards to choose from in Austria besides A1 Austria.

I analyze and discuss them in-depth in my Austria SIM card buying guide.