What Lycamobile Schweiz does

Lycamobile Schweiz operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, reselling mobile connectivity under the global Lyca Mobile brand owned by Lyca Mobile Group. The Swiss entity runs an extremely lean operation of approximately 8 employees, focusing on direct-to-consumer distribution via its lycamobile.ch website, the My Lyca Mobile iOS/Android app, and physical retail touchpoints including SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) ticket machines and a partner store-locator network. Its core technology stack comprises standard MVNO infrastructure delivered over a host network providing 99% coverage across Switzerland including 5G, with eSIM-based instant activation as a primary onboarding flow.

The company's product portfolio has historically centered on contract-free prepaid plans under the Hello Swiss family (Hello Swiss S/M/L/Max, Daily) and regional Balkan/Hello World bundles, sold in 28-day cycles at CHF 9.49–24.95 with bundled international minutes and EU/UK roaming. In November 2025, Lyca Mobile Schweiz expanded into the postpaid segment for the first time with the Lyca Basic, Lyca Swiss, and Lyca Europe subscriptions (CHF 9.90–19.90/month with 1-, 12-, or 24-month terms), signaling a strategic move toward recurring-revenue subscribers and direct competition with Swiss incumbents. The pricing strategy emphasizes permanent discounts (e.g., 51% off Hello Swiss S), free SIM/eSIM distribution, and product-led acquisition rather than long-term contracts.

Lycamobile Schweiz serves four primary personas: cost-conscious Swiss residents seeking contract flexibility, the international/expat community needing affordable cross-border calling, travelers and short-term visitors, and students (acquired via the Student Beans partnership). The business model combines prepaid credit consumption, subscription-based postpaid contracts, top-up purchases (CHF 10–200 denominations), and out-of-allowance usage fees. The Swiss entity is part of the broader Lyca Mobile Group, which operates in 21 countries and serves over 15 million customers globally; however, the Swiss operation itself is a regional market unit rather than the parent. Customer support is partially automated via the LIA chatbot, and marketing leverages Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, content marketing, and referral programs.

Name

Lycamobile Schweiz

Legal name

Lyca Mobile

Website

https://lycamobile.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lycamobile Schweiz is a Zürich-based mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that sells contract-free prepaid and recently launched postpaid mobile plans (Hello Swiss, Lyca Basic/Swiss/Europe) over a 5G host network with 99% Swiss coverage, targeting cost-conscious Swiss residents, expats, travelers, and students via digital channels and SBB retail distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Switzerland

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Prepaid SIM and eSIM Plans: Lyca Mobile generates primary revenue through prepaid mobile plans sold on a 28-day cycle. Plans include various data allowances (20GB to 300GB), unlimited calls/SMS within Switzerland, and international calling minutes to EU/UK. Customers purchase plans using prepaid credit or auto-renewal.
2. Credit Top-ups: Customers purchase prepaid credit to top up their accounts for out-of-plan usage including calls, SMS, and data consumption. Top-ups available in denominations of CHF 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, and 200.
3. Postpaid Mobile Subscriptions: New pay-monthly subscription plans (launched November 2025) offering unlimited data with 1-month, 12-month, or 24-month contract options. Includes EU/UK roaming benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Lycamobile Schweiz is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Switzerland that resells mobile network services under its own brand. It sells prepaid 28-day plans (Hello Swiss S/M/L/Max, Hello Swiss Daily, Balkan S/M/L, Hello World) and postpaid subscriptions (Lyca Basic, Lyca Swiss, Lyca Europe) via free physical SIM cards or instant eSIM activation, with included national data, unlimited Swiss calls/SMS, and EU/UK roaming allowances.

Product overview

Lyca Mobile Schweiz operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Switzerland offering both prepaid and postpaid mobile services. The product portfolio includes prepaid plans (Hello Swiss S/M/L/Max, Hello Swiss Daily, Balkan S/M/L, Hello World) providing flexible 28-day data and calling packages without contracts, physical SIM cards and eSIM formats for instant activation, and newer postpaid subscriptions (Lyca Basic, Lyca Swiss, Lyca Europe) with 1-24 month contract terms including 5G data and EU roaming. Supporting services include a mobile app for account management, quick top-up functionality via multiple channels, and international roaming with data bundles across EU, UK, USA, Canada, Turkey, and Balkan regions. The company targets both price-conscious consumers seeking flexibility and frequent travelers requiring international connectivity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lyca Basic: Entry-level postpaid plan with 10 GB data in Switzerland and unlimited calls & SMS from CHF 9.90/month
• Lyca Swiss
• Lyca Europe
• Hello Swiss
• Hello Swiss Daily
• Hello World
• Balkan

Products and services

• Hello Swiss S Entry-level prepaid mobile plan offering 20 GB high-speed 5G data, unlimited calls and SMS within Switzerland, 500 minutes to EU/UK, and 200 minutes plus 1 GB data in EU/UK, valid for 28 days.
• Hello Swiss M Prepaid mobile plan with up to 40 GB high-speed 5G data, unlimited calls within Switzerland and to EU/UK, and 1000 minutes plus 3 GB data in EU/UK, valid for 28 days.
• Hello Swiss L Prepaid mobile plan with 100 GB high-speed 5G data, unlimited calls in Switzerland and to EU/UK, and 12 GB roaming data for EU, UK, USA, Canada, and Turkey, valid for 28 days.
• Hello Swiss Max Premium prepaid plan offering 300 GB high-speed 5G data, unlimited calls in Switzerland and to EU/UK, and 12 GB roaming data for EU, UK, USA, Canada, and Turkey, valid for 28 days at CHF 24.95.
• Hello Swiss Daily Daily prepaid plan offering 10 GB high-speed 5G data per day and unlimited calls within Switzerland, valid for 1 day at CHF 2.50, requires online activation.
• Balkan S Prepaid plan with 1 GB data, unlimited national minutes, 40 minutes to Turkey mobile and EU, and 200 minutes to Turkey landline, valid for 28 days.
• Balkan M Prepaid plan with 3 GB data, unlimited national minutes, 80 minutes to Turkey mobile and EU, and 500 minutes to Turkey landline, valid for 28 days.
• Balkan L Prepaid plan with 10 GB data, unlimited national minutes, 100 minutes to Turkey mobile and EU, and 750 minutes to Turkey landline, valid for 28 days.
• Hello World International prepaid plan with 1000 minutes to international countries and unlimited national minutes, valid for 28 days.
• Lyca Basic Postpaid mobile subscription offering 10 GB data in Switzerland and unlimited calls and SMS within Switzerland, starting from CHF 9.90/month with 1, 12, or 24-month contract options.
• Lyca Swiss Postpaid mobile subscription with unlimited data in Switzerland, 10 GB EU/UK roaming, and unlimited calls and SMS within Switzerland, starting from CHF 14.90/month with 5G included.
• Lyca Europe Postpaid mobile subscription for frequent travelers with unlimited data in Switzerland, 30 GB EU/UK roaming, and unlimited calls and SMS within Switzerland, starting from CHF 19.90/month with 5G included.
• eSIM Digital embedded SIM card that can be activated instantly via QR code without requiring a physical SIM card, available for all prepaid and postpaid plans.
• Physical SIM Card Traditional physical SIM card available for free, can be ordered online and activated, supports number porting from other carriers.
• My Lyca Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling users to check credit balance, receive top-up reminders, view latest offers, and manage their account, with 24x7 LIA chatbot support.
• Quick Top-Up Service Online service for adding credit to prepaid accounts using credit/debit cards, available in denominations from CHF 10 to CHF 200, with top-up also possible via USSD codes and at SBB ticket machines.
• Roaming Services International roaming service included in prepaid plans with data allowances for EU, UK, USA, Canada, and Turkey, with EU and Balkan roaming bundle options available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% network coverage across Switzerland
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Giffgaff: UK-based MVNO operating on the O2 network with a digital-first, no-contract prepaid model and community-driven support, closely analogous to Lyca Mobile's product-led growth strategy.
• Lebara: International-focused MVNO with strong emphasis on affordable cross-border calling to specific diaspora communities, mirroring Lyca's expat-targeting value proposition across multiple European markets.
• Mint Mobile: US MVNO offering low-cost prepaid and 12-month plans on T-Mobile's network with a digital-first acquisition model and disruptive pricing, comparable to Lyca Mobile's value-led MVNO positioning.
• M-Budget Mobile: MVNO backed by Migros, providing affordable prepaid mobile plans to the Swiss market with similar focus on budget-conscious consumers and bundled value.
• Wingo: Swiss MVNO owned by Swisscom, offering low-cost prepaid/postpaid mobile plans on the Swisscom network with a similar value-centric consumer target as Lyca Mobile Switzerland.
• Coop Mobile: Coop's MVNO arm offering competitively priced prepaid mobile services in Switzerland, leveraging Coop's retail distribution to reach similar value-seeking customers as Lyca Mobile.
• Yallo: Direct Swiss MVNO competitor offering prepaid and postpaid mobile plans targeting cost-conscious Swiss consumers, with similar positioning around no-contract flexibility and competitive pricing against incumbents.

Broad incumbents

• Sunrise: Major Swiss MNO offering mobile and converged services; competes head-on with Lyca Mobile in the Swiss market across prepaid and postpaid consumer segments.
• Salt Mobile: Swiss mobile network operator (MNO) providing postpaid and prepaid plans with its own network infrastructure, competing across the same Swiss consumer base as Lyca Mobile's MVNO offerings.
• Swisscom: Dominant Swiss incumbent MNO offering mobile, fixed, and converged services; a major wholesale counterparty to MVNOs like Lyca and a broad competitor across all Swiss consumer segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7TLfI4Il3zwKR7TGRO2g_g
• Facebookfacebook.com/LycamobileCH
• Instagraminstagram.com/lycamobilech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lycamobile-schweiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lycamobile Schweiz