Making phone calls in Germany

Residential phone lines and Internet connections usually come together and cost €30-50/month, depending on provider and speed. A flat rate for calls to other residential numbers within Germany is often included (note: calls to mobile phones and special numbers can be costly, so read the fineprint!). Installation of a line usually takes 2 - 4 weeks.

For mobile telephony, I recommend to get a prepaid SIM card, which is available in numerous locations incl. phone shops, petrol stations, supermarkets, etc. and can be activated and used right away. Usage (within Germany) usually costs 9ct/min or SMS. Depending on the provider (there are hundreds of them!), you can also book certain packets of call time/SMS/mobile data at low rates. There are also flat rates for unlimited calls within Germany (incl. mobile numbers), SMS and data starting at €20/month.
Getting a post-paid (subscription-based) SIM card is only worth it if you get a subsidised (or almost free) phone in exchange for a 1 or 2 year contract.

Getting a mobile Sim card connection is not difficult in germany. . There are a lot of operators with good offers..

There are O2, Blau.de, Tonline,  Aldi etc
In germany there are lot of supermarket networks offering mobile networks which I find more cheaper.. I have a Sim card from Aldi and they have very cheap offers which includes Internet and calling offers..

JUST buy the Sim card from the shop, you need not provide any identification details or photo. Usually a packet cost 10 to 20 euros..
It will take around one week to get the connection active .. you have to fill your I'd details online after buying the Sim card..

Landphone connections are cheaper for 1 & 1,  Blau.de or unity media which has very good attractive calling and Internet offers.. check website for details

There are showrooms or company outlets in most of the streets.. just go in ask for details
International callings are always expensive.. I use voip calling softwares which are very very cheaper..
Write me if you need any more info...

To my inderstanding, in order to qualify for a contrat, one needs a valid proof of stay, Anmeldung or similar document. The problem is that there are no shorter contracts than 24 months, which do not allow much of gymnastics if one is not satisfied from the services.

The same counts for the landline, especially if it is in a package with Internet and/or TV subscription. This is much determent by the facility capabilities where one is residing. Some infrastructure lines do not support some of the TV services and thus it is better to be watchfull in advance, consult your landlord and ask all questions a priori. In my case, few of the operators come to make an assessment and some found the facility inconnectable. I have a Telekom Internet which works fine.

Quality of coverage of Mobile networks are good but not awesome, at least in my area, especially when one uses (who doesn't these days) internet and other android in-app services (fairs, taxi). I live in a residential area which is located in a kind of a small valey near Hamburg and therefore, although I pay for a 4G signal, I get only "H" coverage trough vodafone. This then limits use of Internet and subsuquently other services.

Wi-fi is also an issue one should advancely consider, especially because some of the buildings or houses are well built and have very thick walls, notably on a two-storey appartment, it can be a problem. Wi-fi TV lags. Then one opts for the good old friend called "cable" as I did.

Luckily, I found the installment services and technicians friendly and so far the connnectivity works for me. Be carefull, each technician visit is paid extra.

In terms of pricing, I believe there are good deals on "werbung"-promotion so one just needs to follow the needs.

iocoesk wrote:

The problem is that there are no shorter contracts than 24 months, which do not allow much of gymnastics if one is not satisfied from the services.

For Internet and cable TV contracts, this is true: Minimum is usually 24 months of service (and this is renewed for another 24 months if not terminated early enough in writing). The companies are also very rigid and will not show any understanding or tolerance with regards to being flexible.
For residential phones (if separate from Internet/TV) you can have a line with monthy termination possibility.
And mobile phone contracts (with 12 or 14 months validity) are only worth it if you get a heavily subsidized smartphone with it. Otherwise opt for pre-paid cards, which are available everywhere!

My best advice is to stay away from Vodafone! After we left Germany at the beginning of this year (when we really had absolutely no use for a German landline for obvious reasons), AND having cancelled our contract well ahead of time, they just kept charging us for the landline, and when we made the bank stop the automatic payments, they started sending threatening letters through their "inkasso"-office. We kept on writing back saying the contract was cancelled, we had left the country (we sent documentation of this), and they kept writing back demanding an ever increased amount of money. It took 9 months before they finally accepted that they had no legal claim on the money, which by then was 557 €! For the use of a defunct landline! (We had also sent the box back, of course.) So: STAY AWAY FROM VODAFONE!!!

Or if your professional and social interaction requires high level of communication, check for "flat rate" contracts of offer inclusive of a handy. I got for my son an S5 with a flat rate calls and sms for 25 eur.month....Almost a bargain:)

It is not just Vodafone - all companies in the telecoms, DSL and cable industry behave like that. They simply cannot make money from "normal" use, because rates are so low, so they have to make money from cases of "non-use" like described above. Unfortunately the German contract law (and the difficulties in enforcing it, together with these companies' appaling customer service) makes such a business model viable.
My personal advice: Go for pre-paid or very short contracts (e.g. monthly termination allowed) wherever possible!

There are a lot of choice for your mobile phone depends on your need.

If you use only for call, I recommend you to use O2, cause you can call another O2 number for free.

But, in term of internet connection, I use Lidl mobile. I paid 7 euro for 500MB.

For making international Call, I think you can consider to use Lebara Mobile.

For budget, no more than 20 euro per month

Hi,

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dachepierre wrote:

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