What Network Do ALDI SIM Cards USe?

Tech, TV, Mobile, Internet and Geek Corner
1
Does anyone know what physical network Aldi pre-paid SIM cards use? (ie: Swisscom, Sunrise or Orange?)

2
I am not sure, but I think it's their own Network...not related to Swisscom or Sunrise or Orange...

OK...I was wrong

3
It's Sunrise.

(they refer customers to Sunrise customer service in their FAQ )

4
Theres only 4 physical networks in Switzerland: Swisscom, Sunrise, Orange and Tele2 (but Tele2 has very few sites compared to the rest, and anyway they were bought by Sunrise recently and will probably be brought into the Sunrise network)

Yup, seems to be Sunrise. Thanks.

...do Aldi SIM cards also use a 076 prefix like Sunrise, or do they use another prefix?

5
Aldi is a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) powered by Sunrise network. It is basically to compete with likes of Migros (Swisscom) or Coop (Orange). And yes it is using the same prefix 076.

6
Actually, there's 5, but the 5th GSM network is not open for public service.

Who can guess who owns the 5th network...

7
In&Phone ?

8
Nope, you're thinking too small. Think bigger... and remember, not for public service...

9

Could be Cablecom then so

10
Hint required

Something to do with SBB / Siemens ??

11
Nope, you got 3 guesses, that's number 2

Think big, Swiss-wide, infrastructure "company".

Not well known that it exists, but they have a GSM network.

And we're not talking the Secret Service (In some countries, the government Secret Service department have a private, "hidden" mobile phone network for secure, inhouse communications. Dunno if CH Geheimdienst has their own GSM network, but I know some countries do)

Anyway, 1 more guess: who is the 5th GSM network operator, with their own GSM infrastructure, nationwide, and not open for public service (big clue there!) ...?

12
How about the army? or even the SBB?

13
Woo hoo! Bingo!

The SBB use GSM for their train communications

They have their own, private network along the railway tracks - if you look you can see the GSM antennas, pointing along the track route.

Some of the new traisn go sooooo fast that the driver no longer has time to observe the signalling beside the track. A human simply cannot register the lamps at that speed

So the track signalling is transmitted to displays in the drivers cabin using a private, nationwide GSM network.

Cool, huh! (I love this sort of technology, but then I'm a bit of a geek)

14
That would be GSM-R ( Railway )

http://gsm-r.uic.asso.fr/docs/implem...witzerland.pdf

15
Arrr Arrr - remindes me of talk-like-a-pirate-day (which is September 19th, for those that like to swashbuckle their way around the office and slur on the phone a lot)

16
I do not know about the secret service, but all other government institutions (police, firebrigade, rescue...) use a Tetrapol system, which is not GSM...

17
More on Tetrapol here.

Come next year, if this repor t is true, there will be other private GSM networks

18
...called Polycom

They are now in the process of making it country-wide...