Telecoms across the Northern Hemisphere have been announcing student deals in advance of the start of the school year. For example, Magenta Telekom in Austria is offering a price cut on a smartwatch for kids that lets them send and receive calls, as well as allowing their parents to track their location. Meanwhile, Vodafone Spain is cutting the cost of its student fiber plan by EUR 7 (US $6.94) per month, while Orange Poland is offering a promotion that gives students an extra 50GB of data per month for six months.

Tarifica’s Take

Late-summer and early fall have long been the time for back-to-school promotions in a range of sectors, including apparel, school supplies, and, more recently, technology. But these student-centered promotions for data and internet-enabled devices suggest that internet access is also now a relevant necessity for schooling at all levels

The pandemic brought to the fore the importance of an internet connection in daily life, but especially its importance in the educational space, as students around the world attended classes remotely. Although restrictions have mostly wound down and students are returning to in-person learning, a reliable internet connection remains as important for educational success as a backpack or a notebook. Going forward, we expect to see promotions for mobile data or FTTH connections becoming a staple of the back-to-school shopping season.