«We’re taking an important step into the Device-as-a-Service business today. With Flex Upgrade, we’re offering an exclusive, new and innovative way to acquire smartphones and tablets as a comprehensive service, and one that helps our customers purchase devices more sustainably,» says André Krause, CEO of Sunrise. «We’re the first supplier in Switzerland, and perhaps even in the world, whose customers can exchange a device for a new one at no additional cost or have it repaired for a moderate fee. And they can do so as often as they want. When customers upgrade, we cover the cost of their previous device plan, a feature that’s particularly welcome to them.»

Sunrise already launched a groundbreaking deal last year in the form of Smart Upgrade, the first residual-value-based offer that allows customers to pay a discounted price for their iPhone with a view to exchanging it for a new iPhone at a later date. Now, in collaboration with its partners Chubb Versicherungen (Schweiz) AG, Recommerce and Repairline, Sunrise is taking this concept one step further and offering a global innovation with the new Flex Upgrade option. Available for all device brands, the option is a complete Device-as-a-Service offer that focuses on flexibility and affordability.

There’s nothing new about the individual aspects of purchasing a device. Customers can buy smartphones and tablets in many places and pay for them in instalments or by making a one-off payment. It is also already possible to exchange a device for a new one and to resell it. Insurance against damage and theft has also been around for a long time. But combining the purchase, rental, insurance, exchange and the circular economy into a complete service package that optimally meets the customers’ needs for flexibility, affordability, security and sustainability adds up to a new and unique offer.

With the Flex Upgrade option, Sunrise is providing the perfect expansion of the Smart Upgrade and Buyback offers. Customers benefit from unparalleled flexibility, security and services. Sunrise is redefining the way customers purchase and own a device with this Device-as-a-Service offer, and it also includes insurance and support. It comes at a monthly cost that would usually only cover the price of the device itself without any additional services. With the Flex Upgrade option, Sunrise is eliminating the price and contractual barriers commonly associated with device purchases and giving customers the freedom to decide at any time whether or not their current device still suits them. Sunrise is therefore positioning itself as a pioneer and the preferred provider of new smartphones and tablets. An overview of the offer and services is available in the separate attachment.

Focus on the circular economy

Buying a smartphone, using it and then keeping it in a drawer as a kind of backup, or perhaps even throwing it away, is not sustainable. Nevertheless, around 40% of the Swiss population keep an old smartphone in a drawer at home, thereby removing these devices from the circular economy¹⁾.

The Sunrise Flex Upgrade option eliminates the need to hold onto an old smartphone. If a customer’s current smartphone is damaged or stolen, Sunrise will replace it within 24 hours thanks to Flex Upgrade . A damaged device is repaired or replaced with an equivalent model (even in the event of theft), subject to a moderate excess. An upgrade to the latest device is also possible. To bridge the repair time, customers will be given a loan device.

Sunrise gives all traded-in devices a second life by refurbishing and reselling them to maximise the device’s useful life. If it is no longer possible to recycle and sell a device, we recycle it appropriately so that any device that is traded in remains in the circular economy.

AppleCare services and 50 GB of iCloud+ storage included

With the Flex Upgrade option, iPhone customers also benefit from AppleCare services. These include priority technical support by phone or chat, same-day display repair, express replacement service, free battery replacement when the battery drops below 80% of its original capacity, certified repairs and replacement of the device at more than 500 Apple Stores and over 5,000 authorised Apple Service Providers worldwide. In addition, the Flex Upgrade option includes 50 GB of iCloud+ storage for sharing data and creating secure backups, as long as the customer has insurance coverage through the Flex Upgrade option. This makes the Flex Upgrade option even more attractive for iPhone customers.

¹⁾ Survey Recommerce/verkaufen.ch 20.10.2022 / Study by Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the Swiss online marketplace Ricardo on sustainable consumption in Switzerland, 04.10.2022

Overview offer and services

Press Release (PDF)

Sunrise

Media Relations

media@sunrise.net

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