Galaxus Internet: fast, no-nonsense, affordable home broadband
Galaxus is adding home internet to its range of services this March. If you have a fibre-optic connection, you’ll get 10 Gbit/s for CHF 39 per month. Check out this interview to find out more.
Transparency notice: I’m one of the test customers Galaxus chose from within the company to try out its new fibre-optic internet plan. I hooked up my router for the very first time a few months back. At the time, Head of B2B Andreas Kundert and his team took me through the then rather rough-and-ready process of becoming a Galaxus Internet customer.
Andreas, I obviously know that I have a fibre-optic connection now. But how can somebody who’s interested in fibre internet, who’s never looked into it before, find out if they have a connection?
Andreas: They’d do exactly what you did: go through the line checker test on our website. All you have to do is type in your address to find out if you’re able to use our service.
When I did the test, I struck lucky. It turned out that fibre was available where I live. Is it just tough luck for people in areas with copper cable?
Initially, yes. However, we’ll soon be expanding our range to include cable connections. Now, I know you’re probably going to ask what I mean by «soon», so I’ll tell you straight off the bat. Our goal is to have the service ready by summer. That way, we’ll be able to serve as many customers as possible.
Mind you, copper cable connections are basically prehistoric.
Sure, fibre optic is definitely the future. On the flip side, there are still plenty of copper cables in the ground. People shouldn’t have to wait around for fibre optic cables to be laid in order to use our service. Still, even if you’re using the old technology, our service will still be fast enough for everything you need.
Internet plan speeds are often indicated using upload and download rates measured in Mbps. When it comes to copper cable internet, download is usually faster than upload. With a fibre-optic plan, on the other, upload and download speeds are often identical. Galaxus’s fibre-optic internet plan offers 10 Gbit/s. To put this into perspective, if you’re watching 4K content on Netflix, a rate of 15 Mbit/s is recommended. This works out at just 0.15 per cent of the connection capacity.
Let’s move on to the home internet package designed by you and your team. It doesn’t come with a landline number or TV bundle. Why?
That was a conscious decision. We were focused on making something fast and easy to understand. Other providers commonly offer various speeds and a range of extras, which can get confusing. With us, you get one connection, one speed and that’s it. And besides, the number of people with a landline has been falling for years. Probably only about seven per cent have one these days.
What about TV?
Terrestrial television is on the way out too. That being said, it’s still important to many people – especially when there’s a sporting event on. Or they just watch TV out of habit. That’s why we’ll also be offering TV as an optional add-on. It’s scheduled to launch in summer.
So it kind of is a bundle then.
No, it’s a standalone service. If you don’t want the TV option, you won’t be at a disadvantage. The price of the internet plan is affordable and transparent, as is the price of the TV add-on. We’re not forcing anyone into going for a bundle; people should only have to pay for what they need.
Do you need to have a Galaxus Mobile plan before you can get an internet plan?
No, you don’t. Again, we’re not forcing anyone to buy any packages.
But it’s cheaper with a mobile plan, right?
Yeah, that’s where our Family + Friends discount comes in. Every time someone’s added to a Family, everyone else gets a one-franc discount on their monthly invoice.
Hang on, does that mean that if I’m the only one with a mobile plan and I then sign up for a fibre-optic plan, I don’t save anything?
Right. But your wife could take out the internet plan in her name. That way, there’d be two of you in a Family and you’d each save one franc.
With its Family + Friends option, Galaxus already offers a monthly discount on its mobile phone plans. For instance, a Family with five members pays just CHF 15 each instead of CHF 19. That’s because every time someone’s added to a Family, everyone gets a one-franc discount. With the internet plan, you can now add someone to your Family if they’ve got an internet plan instead of a mobile one. Find out more about Family + Friends here.
Now that we’ve cleared up the money stuff, let’s move on to changing internet plans. What happens after you’ve ordered your Galaxus Internet plan?
Whatever you do, you’ve got to cancel your contract with your current provider yourself. Unlike with our mobile plans, Galaxus can’t take care of this on new customers’ behalf. Once a termination notice has been submitted, we’re notified about when your existing connection will be deprovisioned, i.e. switched off.
Oh, that’s set off my alarm bells. Not having internet at home? That could turn into quite the drama.
Don’t worry about that. In most cases, it only takes a few minutes – especially if you’re switching to Galaxus from a large provider. You have your new connection, you plug in our router and you’re back online.
Do you get a router from Galaxus? Or can you choose one yourself?
We’ve decided to supply a router as part of our internet plan. It’s part of the CHF 79 activation fee. You get an AX7501 from Zyxel, which performed well in our tests. Most importantly, it has real 10 Gbit network throughput – up to 8.5 Gbit comes through at once. Hardly any routers manage to achieve that. Plus, it’s easy to use and the software constraints are minimal.
The router’s coverage is good enough for my little, one-bedroom holiday apartment, but what about people who live in houses, multi-storey mansions and palaces?
(Laughs) I guess the super-rich won’t be too worried about the cost of their internet plan. They just pay what they pay and don’t think about changing providers. If you live in a house, the easiest way to extend your Wi-Fi coverage is with the mesh repeaters from Zyxel.
Come to think of it, will you be installing Galaxus Internet in the Galaxus offices now? Not yet. So far, the service has only been made available to private customers. To be honest, I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for the fibre-optic sockets here.
Thanks for the chat, Andreas.
Got any questions about Galaxus Internet? Feel free to ask them in the comments. Alternatively, check out our FAQs.
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Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
