Starting on Sunday, Vodafone customers in the Czech Republic will pay extra for mobile services. Vodafone announced that prices for flat-rate mobile services will increase by an average of nine percent. The higher fees apply to both business and non-business customers. The company cited rising energy prices and other expenses as reasons for the price hike. This is the first time Vodafone has raised its prices for mobile services since 2018.

The price increase will affect customers differently depending on the services they use. For example, a tariff that previously cost CZK 599 will now cost CZK 652. However, Vodafone has suggested that customers can save money by combining services. By choosing fixed internet, mobile services, and a TV offer from Vodafone, customers can receive a price advantage of up to CZK 700 per month for this package, according to Kateřina Šantorová from Vodafone’s press department.

Existing customers who are already using discounted service packages will still see a price increase. The pricing for prepaid cards, existing fixed internet tariffs, or the Vodafone TV service has not changed.

Vodafone has justified the price increase by pointing out that energy prices have risen significantly in the last year, along with other expenses such as network maintenance costs. The volume of mobile data transferred on Vodafone’s networks increased by 40 percent year-on-year. However, Vodafone has tried to mitigate the impact of higher costs on customers by buying energy smartly and ahead of time to keep costs as low as possible. The company has also improved its internal efficiency.

“We do not want any cost-saving measures to come at the expense of the quality of the services we provide, which is why we will increase the prices of flat-rate mobile services,” said Petr Dvořák, Vodafone’s CEO, commenting on the new prices.

While customers may be unhappy with the price increase, it is not unexpected. Energy prices have been rising across Europe, and companies across various industries have been increasing prices to offset the higher costs. In addition, Vodafone’s price increase is relatively small compared to price hikes by other mobile service providers in the past.

Article by Prague Forum