Communicating from Austria is easy thanks to the country’s modern and efficient telecommunications system. For EU citizens, free roaming makes it much easier to use the telephone, while those coming from outside the EU have to pay attention to the costs.
Austria’s international dialling code is +43. Network coverage is excellent throughout the country, including in Alpine areas, with 4G and 5G available in major cities and tourist destinations. Free Wi-Fi is widely available in hotels, restaurants, stations and city centres.
EU citizens benefit from free roaming in Austria thanks to the ‘Roam Like at Home’ regulation. This allows you to use your national plan (minutes, SMS and data) at no extra cost, as if you were in your own country. Operators may apply limits on monthly data, generally calculated according to the value of the plan.
Non-EU travellers should pay particular attention to roaming costs, which can be very high: up to EUR 10-15 per MB of data, EUR 2-5 per minute of call and EUR 1-2 per SMS. It is strongly recommended to activate specific roaming packages before departure or to use cheaper alternatives.
Local calls in Austria have varying rates depending on the operator. The main operators are A1 Telekom Austria, T-Mobile Austria, Drei (3) and Magenta, which offer nationwide coverage.
International eSIMs are an excellent alternative for travellers wishing to avoid roaming costs. Services such as Holafly, Airalo or Nomad offer Austria-specific data plans that can be downloaded directly onto the smartphone without the need to change the physical SIM.
ESIMs are compatible with iPhone XS or later and many recent Android smartphones. They are easily activated via app or QR code and generally offer 1-30 day plans with different data allowances, from 1GB to unlimited plans.
The benefits of eSIMs include instant activation, competitive pricing compared to traditional roaming, keeping your main number for calls and SMS, and the ability to use multiple eSIM profiles at the same time.
To call your country from Austria, you have to dial the country code followed by the full number, including the area code with the leading zero.
On mobile phones you can directly use the international format +xx followed by the full number. This method works for calls to both fixed and mobile numbers.
To call an Austrian number you must dial 00-43 followed by the Austrian number without the leading zero of the area code. For example, to call Vienna (area code 01), dial: 00-43-1-xxxx.
The area codes of the main Austrian cities are: Vienna 01, Salzburg 0662, Innsbruck 0512, Graz 0316, Linz 0732, Klagenfurt 0463. Austrian mobile phone numbers always begin with 06, followed by the specific operator code.
From other European countries the procedure is identical (00-43), while from non-European countries the local exit code must be used followed by 43. On mobile phones, the +43 format works universally from any country.
Emergency numbers: 112 (Single European Number), 133 (Police), 122 (Fire Brigade), 144 (Ambulance), 120 (Roadside Assistance). These numbers are free from any phone and available 24 hours a day.
Free Wi-Fi is available almost everywhere: hotels, restaurants, cafés, railway stations, airports and shopping centres. Major cities offer free municipal Wi-Fi networks in city centres. Use messaging apps to communicate for free when connected to Wi-Fi.
Before departure, check your operator’s conditions for roaming, activate any international packages if necessary, and download offline maps to reduce data consumption. Save important contacts in international format (+43 for Austria).
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