What Swedish companies pay for telecom — and why it's often too much
A look at what the market actually costs, why most companies never negotiate, and what happens when they finally do.
Why telecom is a good place to start
For most companies, mobile telephony is one of the five largest indirect supplier costs. Yet it's almost always something that runs on without anyone looking at it properly.
That's not carelessness. It's because it never becomes urgent enough to prioritise. The invoice arrives, gets booked, and disappears into the budget. The operators know exactly how this works, and they price accordingly.
A company with 25 subscriptions pays around 736 kronor per subscription on average. Negotiated contracts for the same volume typically land at 480 to 540 kronor. That's between 50,000 and 65,000 kronor a year leaking without appearing in any decision.
What does it actually cost?
Below are typical price levels for 5G subscriptions with unlimited data, based on negotiated contracts for companies with 20 to 100 employees.
| Operator | List price per sub | Negotiated price | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telia Business | 720–800 kr | 490–560 kr | 30–35% |
| Tele2 Business | 680–750 kr | 480–530 kr | 28–32% |
| Telenor Business | 700–780 kr | 500–550 kr | 27–31% |
| Tre Business | 640–720 kr | 460–510 kr | 25–30% |
Levels refer to subscriptions with unlimited data and apply to volumes of around 20–100 subscriptions. Prices vary with lock-in period, hardware and the total deal.
The three most common mistakes
We see the same things again and again, regardless of industry or size.
You negotiated once — and then never again. The contract was signed on good terms four years ago. Since then it has renewed automatically, market prices have fallen, and your cost has crept up at each renewal. The difference between a contract from 2022 and one from today is rarely small.
You're paying for things nobody uses. A switchboard at 890 kronor a month when all communication happens on mobile anyway. International data packages for people who don't travel. Subscriptions left running after someone has left. This is the easiest saving there is, and it requires no negotiation at all.
You've never asked for a volume discount. Every operator has discount tiers linked to the number of subscriptions and total deal size. They're almost never offered spontaneously. You have to know they exist and ask for them.
Take your latest telephony invoice and divide the total by the number of active subscriptions. If you're above 600 kronor per subscription there's very likely room — and above 700, the room is substantial.
What you can do yourself
You don't need help to get part of the way. Three things can be done in an afternoon:
- Reconcile the number of active subscriptions against the number of employees. The difference is almost always money straight out the door.
- Go through the add-on services line by line and cut everything nobody can explain.
- Find out your renewal date and notice period. Without that information you negotiate from a weak position, because the contract can renew while you're still deliberating.
What's harder to do yourself is knowing what the market actually offers for your volume. Without that figure, every conversation with the operator becomes a negotiation where only one party knows what a reasonable price is.
Last reviewed 3 August 2026. The figures are based on negotiated contracts and quotes gathered for Swedish companies with 20–100 employees. They are typical ranges, not guarantees — your cost depends on volume, contract length and the requirements you set. We update them when we see the market has moved.
Are you paying the right price?
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