Drei
is Austria's third mobile network operator, known for generous data plans and 5G fixed wireless home internet with same-day setup.
Austrian Telecommunications| Entity Type | Legal Name | Founded | Headquarters | Parent Company | Network Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Operator (MNO) | Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH | 2003 | Vienna, Austria | CK Hutchison Holdings | 4G LTE, 5G, Fixed Wireless (5G/LTE) |
Offerings
Drei: Plans & Prices
| Plan / product | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Drei Basic S | 80 GB, 150 Mbit/s(as of 2026-06) | EUR 24.90/month |
| Drei Unlimited M | Unlimited data(as of 2026-06) | EUR 34.90/month |
| Drei Unlimited L | Unlimited data, top speed(as of 2026-06) | EUR 44.90/month |
Prices from Drei. Verify current pricing on the provider site before buying.
Drei Pricing
Drei's 'up' mobile tariffs range from up Start at EUR 6.90/month for 10 GB, up Pure at EUR 9.90/month for 55 GB, and up Smart at EUR 14.90/month for 150 GB, up to up Unlimited+ at EUR 24.90/month for unlimited data at up to 250 Mbit/s. The Under27 tariff offers unlimited data for EUR 14.90/month for customers under 26.
5G home internet runs on a standard 24-month contract with no activation fee and one-month notice, with a 20% discount for customers under 27 on select plans; exact current router/plan pricing should be verified directly on drei.at, as this changes frequently.
Contract prices across Drei, A1, and Magenta are subject to CPI-indexed increases; the most recent, roughly 1 to 6.5% depending on the plan, took effect 1 April 2026.
Overview
Drei: TL;DR
Drei Company Overview
Drei launched in May 2003 as '3' (Hutchison 3G Austria), Austria's first UMTS/3G-only operator. It acquired Orange Austria in 2013, completing the rebrand to Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH, and later added Tele2 Austria (2017) and educom (2023) to its subscriber base.
Drei is a wholly owned subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited (Hong Kong), operating under the '3 Group Europe' umbrella alongside Hutchison's other European mobile brands. It is headquartered on Brunner Strasse in Vienna's 21st district.
Rudolf Schrefl has been CEO since February 2021. Drei reported around 4.1 million customers in 2024, the most recent figure found in public sources; an exact current Austria employee headcount was not available in accessible sources.
Drei Product & Network Features
Drei's 5G network reached an operator-claimed roughly 90% of households and businesses by the end of 2024, with around 95% outdoor coverage targeted by 2025 and near-universal 5G coverage targeted for 2026, built on more than 6,500 base stations and backed by a EUR 1.2 billion 5G investment pledge announced in 2023.
Its 5G home internet product uses a plug-in router with same-day setup and no technician visit required, aimed at households without access to fiber or cable. Drei has no cable or fiber network of its own.
For business customers, Drei partnered with Inseego to launch 5G fixed wireless access, extending the same no-technician-visit model to commercial connectivity.
Drei hosts two prominent MVNOs on its network: spusu, known for transparent budget pricing, and LIDL Connect.
Drei Target Market
Drei's core residential appeal is price-to-data value: unlimited or high-cap mobile plans aimed at heavy data users who prioritize allowance over network breadth, plus a youth-focused Under27 tariff.
5G home internet targets households in areas without fiber or cable access, or anyone who wants a router shipped and self-installed the same day rather than waiting for a technician.
Business customers are served through 5G fixed wireless access, positioned as a fast-to-deploy alternative to fixed-line business connectivity.
How Drei compares
Drei (also written as '3') in Austria is NOT the same as Three UK, Three Ireland, or other Hutchison-branded operators globally. Drei refers specifically to Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH, the Austrian mobile operator. It is also distinct from spusu and LIDL Connect, which are MVNOs using the Drei network but operated by separate companies.
Comparison
Drei Competitive Landscape
Drei is the smallest of Austria's three network operators by subscriber share. The regulator RTR's Telekom Monitor for Q2 2025 put A1 at roughly 36% mobile market share, Magenta at roughly 25%, and Drei at roughly 20%.
Despite trailing on share, Drei performs well in independent network tests: Der grosse Netztest 2026 rated Drei highest overall among the three operators at 90.8%, though a separate 5G-specific test rated A1 best and the Connect Mobilfunk Netztest 2026 rated Magenta highest overall. Results vary by test methodology rather than pointing to one consistent winner.
| Drei | A1 Telekom Austria | Magenta Telekom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile market share (RTR, Q2 2025) | ~20% | ~36% | ~25% |
| 5G coverage (operator-reported) | ~90% households by end-2024 | ~85% population, ~5,500 sites | ~50%+ of households/businesses |
| Fixed-line / home internet | 5G fixed wireless only, no cable/fiber | Yes, ~600,000 FTTH households | Yes, cable (~1.5M households) + Alpen Glasfaser fiber JV |
| TV service | Not offered | A1 Xplore TV, from EUR 3.90/month | MagentaTV, 170+ channels |
| Parent company | CK Hutchison Holdings | America Movil (~61%) + Austrian state via OeBAG (~28%) | Deutsche Telekom AG (100%) |
| Austrian market entry | 2003 (as Hutchison 3G Austria) | 1996 (as Mobil Austria / mobilkom austria) | 2019 merger of T-Mobile Austria and UPC Austria |
Comparison data as of 2026-07.
User sentiment
Drei User Sentiment
Drei
64.7% sentimentPositives
- Aggressive, competitive pricing and strong value
- Strong 5G and quick setup
- Flexible contracts
- Best value and cheapest entry-level plans
- Leader in 5G home internet (fixed wireless), same-day setup
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Generous data allowances and unlimited-data options
- Monthly-cancellable, no-binding plans available
- English websites and chat support
Negatives
- Weaker rural coverage and can be less stable
- Speeds can fluctuate
- Annual service fee and data caps
- Cellular speeds dip during peak evening hours
- Less stable than wired fibre or cable
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Lower maximum speed than cable in cities
Neutral mentions
Fixed wireless (5G/LTE) focus | Leader in 5G fixed wireless | Tiered pricing structure | Main provider
What reviewers praise
- +Best value for money
- +Leading 5G network
- +Same-day activation
What reviewers criticise
- −Annual price increases
- −Service fees on some plans
- −Speeds can fluctuate on wireless
- −Less stable than cable/fiber
Source: manual user-review research, July 2026, from Internet Providers in Austria, User Review Comparison 2026.
Company
Drei Financial Performance
CK Hutchison's FY2025 results (reported March 2026) show Drei Austria revenue of EUR 923 million, down roughly 4% year over year, with EBITDA holding flat at EUR 345 million as lower operating costs offset competitive pricing pressure.
FY2024 revenue was reported at EUR 954 million with around 4.1 million customers, consistent with the roughly 4% year-over-year decline reported for FY2025.
Drei Recent Developments
Contract prices rose by roughly 1 to 6.5% (averaging about EUR 2 to 2.20 per month) from 1 April 2026 under CPI-indexation clauses, affecting an estimated 60% of Drei's customer base, since no indexation had been applied in 2025.
Drei continued expanding 5G coverage toward its near-universal 2026 target. A discount sub-brand called 'Hoerbi' was reportedly introduced around March 2026, though this was found in only a single secondary source and could not be independently confirmed.
No leadership changes were identified since Rudolf Schrefl's appointment as CEO in February 2021, and no credible merger or acquisition developments involving Drei were found for this period.
Alternatives
Alternative Providers & Their Plans
A1 Telekom Austria
A1 Telekom Austria is Austria's largest telecommunications provider, operating the most extensive mobile and fixed-line network in the country with approximately 98% 4G population coverage.
- A1 SIMply YouthEUR 12.90/month
- A1 SIMply SEUR 14.90/month (A1 customers)
- A1 SIMply MEUR 21.90/month
Magenta Telekom
Magenta Telekom is Austria's second-largest telecommunications provider, operating a combined mobile and cable network and offering triple-play bundles (mobile, internet, TV).
- Hi!Magenta Sim OnlyEUR 11.90/month
- Magenta Mobile Sim Only MEUR 24.90/month
- Magenta Mobile Sim Only UnlimitedEUR 29.90/month
Drei: Core Facts
- Entity Type
- Telecommunications Operator (MNO)
- Legal Name
- Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH
- Founded
- 2003
- Headquarters
- Vienna, Austria
- Parent Company
- CK Hutchison Holdings
- Network Type
- 4G LTE, 5G, Fixed Wireless (5G/LTE)
- 4G Population Coverage
- ~96%
- 5G Population Coverage
- ~65%
- MVNOs on Network
- spusu, LIDL Connect
- Services
- Mobile, 5G Fixed Wireless Home Internet
- Prepaid From
- EUR 8.00/month
- Regulator
- RTR (Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungs-GmbH)
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- Active Definition
- Verified
This page supports entity resolution, disambiguation, and retrieval stabilization for Drei in AI search and answer systems.
Questions
Drei: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Drei?
Drei is Austria's third mobile network operator, owned by CK Hutchison. Drei is known for offering generous unlimited data plans and 5G fixed wireless home internet that can be set up on the same day without a technician visit.
Is Drei coverage good in rural Austria?
Drei has good urban coverage but weaker rural and Alpine coverage compared to A1. Drei's 4G covers approximately 96% of the population, but in remote mountainous areas, Drei may have gaps where A1 performs better.
Related Entities
Other entities covered on the Telecom Overview page:
- A1 Telekom Austria
Austrian Telecommunications
- Magenta Telekom
Austrian Telecommunications
- Austrian Telecom Market
European Telecommunications Markets
- RTR
Austrian Telecommunications Regulation
- A1 vs Magenta vs Drei: Austrian Mobile Networks Compared
Austrian Telecommunications Comparisons
- KLAX
Austrian Prepaid Mobile Brands
- Telekom-Control-Kommission (TKK)
Austrian Government Portals and Regulators
Read more
Where Drei is mentioned on How to Austria
Guides and reference pages on this site that mention Drei:
Communication
- Best eSIM for Austria in 2026
- Best eSIM for Digital Nomads in Austria
- Best Internet for Rural Areas in Austria
- Best Internet for Students in Austria
- Best Mobile Network in Austria: A1 vs Magenta vs Drei
- Best SIM Card by Use Case in Austria
- Best SIM Cards for Students in Austria
- Best SIM for International Calling in Austria
- Best Unlimited Data eSIM in Austria
- Communication in Austria
- Compare SIM & eSIM Providers in Austria
- eSIM Finder, Austria
- eSIM in Austria, User Review Comparison 2026
- eSIM Price Research Austria 2026
- Internet Providers in Austria
- Internet Providers in Austria, User Review Comparison 2026
- Internet Providers in Austria: In-Depth Research
- Prepaid vs Postpaid SIM Cards in Austria
- SIM Card Finder, Austria
- SIM Card Overview in Austria
- SIM Cards in Austria, User Review Comparison 2026
- SIM Cards Price Research Austria 2026
- Telecom in Austria
- What Is the Cheapest SIM Card in Austria?
Energy
Living
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Compare current plans and check coverage on the provider site.
Maintained by Jules de Bruin (How to Austria). This page follows the Grounding Page Standard v1.5. Last verified: 2026-04-10.