Germany

Basics

National Anthem

There are now only three network operators left in Germany:

* Deutsche Telekom (formerly known as T-Mobile)

* Vodafone

* o2 (owned by Telefónica) merged with e-plus (acquired by Telefónica)

In 2014 e-Plus was acquired by Telefónica Deutschland, owner of o2, in 2014 to join and become one single network. In 2019 the merger was mostly completed.

All other offers mentioned below are MVNOs of one of the three network operators shown above. MVNOs are particularly popular for prepaid in Germany and are mostly cheaper than the MNOs. They now have a prepaid market share of more than 40%, which is among the highest in the world.

All providers are sorted according to the network in which they operate. A list is provided at the bottom of this article. All three network operators are neck and neck: Telefónica with its main brand o2 is market leader by customer numbers, Telekom is still ahead what sales figures are concerned, Vodafone has given out the most SIM cards. In this article, a general guide and comparison are given which network to choose best. The three different operators and their sub-brands have been moved to separate pages.

Some visitors are surprised to find out that the leading industrial powerhouse in Europe has still got quite patchy mobile networks. Better don't expect Korean or Japanese speeds and coverage. Local users, politicians and major CEOs alike now put pressure on the three operators to improve the situation that lags behind other European countries what 4G/LTE coverage and speeds are concerned sold locally at rather high prices.

Coverage and speed

2G and 3G: GSM mostly up to EDGE speed is on 900 and decreasingly on 1800 MHz and 3G is on 2100 MHz like in most of Europe. Almost the entire country is covered by 2G, few remote unpopulated areas remain without any coverage. 3G/UMTS up to DC-HSDPA+ speed is available in most of the populated areas with rather extended blank patches left in the countryside.

4G/LTE: LTE has been rolled out on most common 4G frequencies in Europe on all operators: 800 MHz (band 20), 1800 MHz (band 3) and 2600 MHz (band 7). From 2017 on 900 MHz (band 8) and 2100 MHz (band 1) has been refarmed from 2G and 3G. Band 28 on 700 MHz will be added from 2019 after digital TV has left this spectrum.

5G: has started in a few places in 2019 on Telekom and Vodafone on 3.5 GHz (n78), but is still in trial state.

• Telekom coverage : LTE is available for 97% of population
• Vodafone coverage : LTE is available for 90% of population
• Combined o2 coverage with E-Plus integrated: LTE is available for 85% of population

Availability

The most convenient way to purchase a SIM card for a visitor is to go to one of the big supermarkets, drugstores, service stations, or electronic market chains or an operator's store and look for one of the providers shown below. Remember that MVNOs tend to be generally cheaper than their MNOs:

* on Telekom: congstar, Lebara mobile, ja!mobil, Edeka Connect, Penny Mobil and others

* on Vodafone: otelo, Fyve, Lycamobile, Lidl Connect and others

* on o2: ALDI Talk, Blau, NettoKOM, Ortel mobile, WhatsApp SIM, AyYildiz, NetzClub, K-Classic Mobil, Tchibo and others

Most SIM cards can be used for data as well as phone calls and SMS messages. Data-only SIMs are rather rare in Germany. The standard voice rate is around 9 cents per minute for a domestic call (to any mobile or landline) and about 9 cents for a domestic SMS.

Activation and registration

There used to be much confusion about how to register and activate a German SIM card since the law has been changed in July 2017. That's why this following updated section deals with the new situation in detail:

By law, all SIM cards in Germany now need to be registered first on your name and an address verified by your ID document to be activated. There are different options available for this new verification system, where and how to register a SIM card. Some can be swift and easy, others may need some knowledge of German language or the help on an interpreter, and not all options are open for all brands and nationalities:

1. in a branded store of an operator (Telekom, Vodafone, o2, etc.) by showing your passport or national ID card
2. in some other reseller's stores like MediaMarkt, Saturn and other electronic and telco chains, only for the brands and SIMs sold there with the same ID documents.
3. online by video identification on camera showing a valid ID document through a video connection on a smartphone, tablet, laptop etc.
4. some other ways like 'PostIdent' in post offices by electronically transmitting your data to the provider

If you don't speak or understand basic German you should go the first two ways to be safe. With basic language skills and some technical equipment you can opt for video or postal identification which is restricted to passport holders of major countries and is sometimes available with an English-speaking agent.

For all available options mentioned above you'll need:

• a valid ID document like your passport, national ID card or any other internationally acknowledged ID document with your name and a photo on it. (Syrian and Afghan nationals also need to show their visa or "Aufenthaltstitel".
• a German street address consisting of street name, house number, postal code (called Postleitzahl or in short PLZ in German) and the name of the location. You can give any German address, you don't need to have residency there Normally, it won't be verified in any way. But it should physically exist as some systems run a plausibility check. So you might use your accommodation address or that of a friend you know. Other providers want to have your home address from where you come from.

All activated SIM cards prior to 2017 will not be verified for identification and keep on working like before. No need for action, even if you haven't properly accounted for them. The new law only applies to new SIM cards from July 2017.

1.) registration in the store of a provider (point of sale verification)

This option is only possible for providers and brands that are present in stores like the network operators Telekom, Vodafone, o2 and a few more brands and SIM cards purchased here, but no other brand or even the same SIM brand bought somewhere else can't be registered. This option is the recommended way for unexperienced foreigners, who don't speak any German as in most shops some English-speaking support is mostly to be found.

Note that Telekom used to be picky about the required German address and rather wants to register your foreign home address. Vodafone doesn't want to see any of this, but sometimes charges a fee of 10 € for the procedure or comes up with a minimum balance of 55 € on the SIM. So o2 may be your best option, if you are looking around in stores.

Most reseller brands sold in supermarkets, service stations and kiosks can't be registered at their point of sale. The so-called ethno providers Lebara Mobile and Lycamobile have set up own registration points in their sales outlets which are shown on their website. As these brands are popular with immigrants, it may be the easiest way, if you have an "unusual" passport coming from overseas.

You may shop around a bit to get the best deal and some shops may try to put you off or try to overcharge you. So stay polite and explain, that you can't give a German address for online registration or are able to understand the German online procedure at all. For finding the usual stores you should go to a shopping center or a downtown high street from Monday to Saturday during business hours (10am - 8pm). On Sundays or at airports a much smaller choice is available, if any at all.

2.) registration in other stores

Some other IT stores have set up registration points for SIM cards like the big electronic appliance markets of the MediaMarkt / Saturn group, Euronics and EP (Electronic Partner). But they will only register SIM cards sold in their store and no others. They essentially provide only hardware or services for 1.) or 3.). As their registration schemes may vary, better ask before purchase, how long your activation will take to be processed. Lebara mobile and Lycamobile too are building up a chain of resellers with registration points where citizens of all nations can be registered instantly.

3.) by video-identification (called 'Video Ident' ,'Online ID' or 'WebID')

This latest state of the art technology is supposed to become the standard way for registration of new SIM cards in Germany. It can be used for most brands and operators. Here you need your pre-purchased SIM from any sales point (supermarket, kiosk, gas/service station, newspaper stand, postal agency, etc....) and do the ID check through a video connection.

For this you need to have your SIM card with its numbers, your ID and an address ready. Furthermore you need a rather fast and stable internet connection and a cam. This can be done through your smartphone, tablet or laptop or in any internet café like you do a video Skype or WhatsApp call. Of course, this high speed internet connection may pose a problem as you don't have a connection yet. But more and more WiFi hotspots are opening up in the country (locally rather called WLAN). For instance most McDonald's restaurants give you 1 hour of free internet through Telekom hotspots and the same is true to many hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, transport systems and airports already.

This registration option remains the swiftest way to activate most brands as many resellers don't do it at the point of purchase. This applies to all supermarket brands or SIM cards that you buy off the shelf. You can't be sure to get an English-speaking agent available all the time, but most Germans speak at least basic English. To find the right online address for your VideoIdent session look for the words 'registrieren', 'aktivieren' or 'freischalten' on the website of the provider. So first enter your details there and you will be forwarded to the video system.

Note that some providers are not able to register all passports from overseas so far, but all up-to-date European documents are all accepted, except of drivers licenses. So coming from a rather unusual overseas country, check before, if this is an option for you.

Theoretically, you can do the Video ID from abroad too e.g. at home before your journey starts with a SIM card that you have pre-purchased online. Ebay.de and Amazon.de are usual marketplaces for German SIM cards and all online distribution remains legal, as SIM cards must not be delivered already activated (but some of them still are anyway).

4.) by PostIdent in post offices

There are other ways offered by some providers like PostIdent at postal offices. This option is often suitable for passports that are not accepted through the online way. Here you need to go to a postal office that does PostIdent which is normally done in the larger outlets, not in the small agencies that double as a kiosk. For this way you need to first fill in you data on the website of the operator, so that it can be verified. Then they say to make a print out of the PostIdent form to be shown at the post office. This is not essential anymore. You can also take the PDF-file with or only copy the two number codes shown on the "paper".

You need to go the nearest post office which you can find here. Enter your current location, go to Suchfilter, Sonstige Leistungen and click on PostIdent durchführen. You will only be shown these agencies that are capable of doing PostIdent. Just show up with your passport and the print-out (or pdf-file on phone) to be verified. As data is processed electronically, this way only takes some minutes.

Updates registration 2020:

The mess and chaos about prepaid registration in Germany, especially for foreigners has calmed down as routine has set in. The government and the regulator stressed, that foreigners will still be able to buy and register prepaid SIM cards, but in fact they still face some obstacles. There are still occasional problems with VideoID (also called WebID or OnlineID), but lately providers can better deal with demand. F

So as a visitor to Germany you have essentially these options:

• (1) before entering the country: We have "roam like at home" in the EU/EEA now. So if you come from another EU/EEA country, it might be better to take your SIM from there and use it roaming in Germany at the domestic rate. Some restrictions apply, see our European Union chapter.
• (2) buying online: There are many German SIM cards offered on eBay.de and other platforms. This market is still legal. However, most dealers will sell you an unregistered SIM card, which you can register already at home via internet showing your ID. Some merchants offer you some help with registration like doing it through WhatsApp. This is illegal, but you may only face disconnection. This way you will have a running connection when entering the country.
• (3) already in the country: Try to go to the branded stores of the operators like o2, Vodafone, Telekom or other chain stores. If you don't speak German, better don't buy the SIM, where it can't be registered like in a petrol station, supermarket or newspaper kiosk as long as you are not familiar with the video registration system. This is unfortunately true for the cheaper brands from Aldi, Penny or Lidl supermarkets or online operators. If you have a stable WiFi at your accomodation, it's easy to make the video call. As a last resort you can go to an area where a lot of non-EU citizens live like Turkish living areas and to the small phone stores there run by immigrants. They'll often know a way too and do it probably for a small surcharge. Another good option are post offices where SIM cards are sold and registration is made at one spot using PostIdent.

Check each provider in our list, because rules and options vary slightly between operators and brands.

Tax Cuts (July-December 2020)

As a stimulus for consumers during the Corona pandemic Germany has cut sales (or VAT) tax from 19% to 16% from 1/JULY/2020. Providers have forwarded this tax reduction by lowering all tariffs and plans by about 2.5%. As all advertised prices in Germany are tax-included, prices are lowered by this margin. The way the operator lower prices, varies according to carrier. In this wiki all rates remain unchanged as this is only a temporary tax reduction until 1/JAN/2021 when old prices and taxes will resume. From July to December 2020 simply apply a discount of roughly 2.5% for the final price to the prices mentioned here.

Tethering / Mobile hotspot use and VoIP

Tethering is usually allowed with all the shown offers below, except on the free ad-sponsored SIM of Netzclub and Lycamobile. Some providers don't supply a profile for the iPhone, but don't block it otherwise. VoIP calls are officially allowed only by o2 and some of its MVNOs. Other operators like Vodafone still officially ban them in their T&Cs without any real consequences. Only Telekom (and its MVNOs) has actively blocked and scrambled VoIP in the past, but opened all new tariffs for it now.

Topping up

German SIM cards can be topped up in many ways, but only few of them are suitable for visitors as some of them require German payment systems.

• when you are in Germany only:
  • Buy a top-up voucher called Ladebon in many stores with a PIN to enter. The vouchers of the network operators are most widely available.
    • You can use Telekom vouchers for congstar and ja!/Penny mobil and EDEKA connect,
    • Vodafone vouchers for Otelo, Fyve, and LIDL Connect;
    • e-plus vouchers for Aldi Talk, ortel, WhatsApp, ay yildiz, Blau(world), NettoKOM
    • and o2 vouchers for o2/Loop, Tchibo and Netzclub.
    • For Fonic, Lycamobile and Lebara, you need special vouchers which are less widely distributed. Note that the billing systems of e-plus and o2 haven't merged fully yet and you can't use one voucher for the other brand.
  • Go to one of the three major drugstore chains (Rossmann, Müller, dm) or to large retailers like Edeka, Rewe, real, Kaufland, Aldi, Lidl etc. to top-up most brands and pay at the cash register with internatl. MasterCard, VISA and sometimes even AmEx.
  • Newspaper kiosks, postal agencies, some service/gas stations, some supermarkets or even ticket machines of some public transport companies are further top-up points. Look for the logo of the provider, but acceptance varies according to provider.
  • Most German retailers don't sell scratch cards, but hand out a paper slip with a PIN code. This usually involves either picking up a tag on display close to the cash register or asking the cashier for a Ladebon (= recharge voucher) for you carrier. You will be issued a paper slip containing the voucher PIN to be entered in your phone.

• When you are in or out of Germany (trying to keep an existing SIM card alive, topping up before arrival from abroad or while on roaming abroad):
  • some SIM cards can be topped-up with international credit cards (VISA, MasterCard) and sometimes PayPal on the websites of the provider. But some foreign credit cards have been rejected in the past and a few providers may add a small surcharge.
  • other SIM cards still don't allow online top-up by credit cards or have disabled that. Here you will need to use 3rd party agencies instead.
  • The website/app prelado.de does all recharges without fees. It accepts Mastercard, VISA, AMEX and PayPal. An alternative for a small transaction fee (except for Telekom, which is free) is aufladen.de.
  • As a last resort international top-up agencies can do the transaction for a variable surcharge of up to 10%.

Top-ups of most major brands have a minimum of 15 € which can be inconvenient because of the remaining credit. Lycamobile and Lebara let you recharge from 10 € and Lidl Connect, AldiTalk (only at their own Lidl or Aldi stores) and Vodafone (on its own website only) for as low as 5 €.

Managing your SIM card

German providers give you several ways to manage your SIM card e.g. to check credit, top-up, check remaining allowances or change plans, renew packages or add-ons for more data.

• on your online account you can register and log in to perform all the necessary tasks
• by entering certain USSD codes
• by calling customer support
• by using the app of the provider (which may be geo-restricted)

Provider apps are a good tool to do all necessary tasks for tablets and smartphones. The major problem with German providers is, that most of them are offered only in the local Play Store for Android or App Store for Apple. Coming from a different country, they won't be displayed to be installed even if you are using a SIM card of the very same provider. How this obstacle can be bypassed, is written in detail in this manual. As apps can't be easily transferred to a translator tool, you should be cautious as long as you don't understand basic German as some of them may hide payable 3rd party services to be activated by a few clicks.

EU and Swiss roaming

Germany is part of the EU, where from 2017 new international roaming rules have been enforced. In most European countries you can 'roam like at home' at domestic rates rather than excessive roaming rates. Most German providers generally apply this principle with only few restrictions. For specifics about the new regulation check the European Union chapter and each provider in their article.

Given the rather high domestic data prices in Germany, most providers give out "Roam like at home" at German rates all over the EU/EEA without major limitations. Only Lebara and Lycamobile apply a strict cap on roaming data. All networks employ 4G/LTE roaming with all SIM cards that have 4G/LTE access in Germany. But those that are restricted to 3G, will stay on 2G/3G abroad too. So you can expect to use most German prepaid data volume abroad at domestic rates without any restrictions.

Beware that without having activated a (domestic) data package, some providers still sell high roaming rates based on an excessive domestic standard rate of up to 0.24 € per MB in the country. Always buy packages.

Roaming in Switzerland is mostly excluded from the "roam like home" zone of German providers and often billed very high on most plans as this country doesn't belong to the EU/EEA. If you are looking for a cheap roaming option from Germany for Switzerland too, you have a rather limited choice:

• Deutsche Telekom: Magenta Mobile Prepaid, congstar, Norma connect and Penny/ja! mobil (all see Telekom): with data in Switzerland at EU = domestic Geman rates taken from the package, but not for calls or SMS in Switzerland, not even incoming.
• Aldi Talk (see o2) still offers 500 MB add-ons for 7 days valid in Switzerland too at 4.99 € and another one for calls from Switzerland.
• Ay Yildiz (see o2) still has Switzerland included in its EU zone and gives all volumes in packages without surcharge according to Roam like at home.

All other providers now charge excessively for roaming in Switzerland (Vodafone charges 500 times as much compared to the EU!). So better buy a new SIM card in Switzerland when you plan to stay there for longer.

SUMMARY - Which network (and operator) to choose:

Deutsche Telekom (formerly T-Mobile): The market leader has still the best network in the country, what coverage and speed is concerned. But this comes at the highest prices of all operators. 4G/LTE is available at locations that are not covered by any other network. Most sub-brands have opened up 4G.

Vodafone: They have a pretty good coverage throughout the country, which is almost on par with Telekom given out at somewhat lower prices and better promotions. 4G/LTE is now finally also available on most of its brands.

o2 (incl. e-plus): The newly merged o2 network which still shows as 'e-plus' on some old phones has a poorer 4G/LTE coverage on the countryside, but is mostly fine in cities. 4G/LTE is open on all of its resellers too making it the cheapest offer with LTE in the country right now. This has led to occasional congestion and slow speeds in certain city hot spots and quite fast speeds in other places. It can't be recommended for mass events. For details check our o2 section.

So choose:

• Telekom for the best available coverage and speeds at the highest prices
• Vodafone for a slightly weaker network at somewhat lower prices
• o2 (incl. e-plus) for the cheapest rates on 3G and (a not widespread) 4G

Furthermore, you have the choice between the network operator and one of its many resellers (sub-brands, MVNOs). The operator gives better support and offers LTE at higher prices, while many resellers give better rates, but are still banned from LTE in cases with a minimal customer support.

To obtain a good deal, data packages must be activated on the SIM card after activation. As weekly rates are hard to find, there is basically the choice of:

• daily packages for short-time heavy users
• monthly packages for most users

Take care, that the default rate is often charged very high at around 20c to 25c per MB while data in packages stays much lower. So buy packages right from the start, shut off data before the purchase and enable only when it has been confirmed (see here).

More information

The following list shows the most important players on the German prepaid market which can be bought in shops all over the country. Many other providers compete for special segments and audiences or online only. The German prepaid WIKI has an updated extended survey (in German only, use Google Translate): www.prepaid-wiki.de with additional information.

MediaMarkt and Saturn

The electronic appliances chain is ubiquitous in many German cities and major shopping malls. Due to their aggressive marketing it's easy to spot one of their mega-stores. You can find one even in Berlin Central Station, but not at airports. Note that all chain stores are usually closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

Unlike in Austria they don't have own brands anymore, but re-sell other brands mentioned in our list. As MediaMarkt and Saturn can be a good option to buy a SIM card and make the registration there as well, these stores are featured outside of our list with their current prepaid portfolio.

Recently, Freenet bought a share in the monther company of the chain stores. That's why they've changed their preferred partner from o2 to different Freenet brands, but you can still get all networks with a broad portfolio there.

Most starters are for 10 € with the same credit pre-loaded. As of 2019/20 these brands and operators were offered and some can only be found there:

• Vodafone CallYa has a green 'Mobilcom-Debitel' branding on top, but can be switched to all 4G plans of CallYa shown in detail our Vodafone chapter.
• Magenta Mobil Prepaid is the usual starter pack of Telekom with 4G. Their free Basic plan is not offered, but all other prepaid plans of Telekom can be switched to. Check Telekom for details.
• Klarmobil.de with its 'Handy-Spar-Tarif' is on Telekom or Vodafone networks on 4G up to 25 Mbit/s. 500 MB are for 5 € and 1 GB for 9 € which is quite expensive.
• Callmobile.de with its 'clever surf Tarif' is another plan with 4G on Telekom or Vodafone networks. Only one package for 12.99 € is available with 5.5 GB.
• o2 used to be the old favourite of the chain stores and is now sold separately from the other plans, but their whole prepaid portfolio is still available. Check the o2 section for options.

Operators

Due to its length the German article is now split into 3 further sub-articles according to each physical network provider (MNO): Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, o2 (incl. former e-plus) by Telefónica and their resellers.

Click on the bullet list or logo below to choose network and relevant sub-page for detailed information:

• Deutsche Telekom
• Vodafone Deutschland
• O2 Deutschland (Telefónica, incl. former e-plus)

Deutsche Telekom network

Vodafone network

o2 (+ e-plus) network(s)

For most popular resellers and sub-brands check this site according to network operator:

• Aldi Talk -> o2
• ay yildiz -> o2
• Blau -> o2
• congstar -> Telekom
• EDEKA mobil -> Vodafone
• EDEKA Smart -> Telekom
• E-Plus -> o2
• Fonic -> o2
• Fonic mobile (ex Lidl) -> o2
• fyve -> Vodafone
• ja!mobil -> Telekom
• K-Classic mobil -> o2
• Kaufland mobil -> Telekom
• Lebara mobile -> Telekom
• Lidl Connect -> Vodafone
• Lifecell -> Telekom
• Loop -> o2
• Lycamobile -> Vodafone
• NettoKOM -> o2
• Netzclub -> o2
• Norma connect -> Telekom
• Norma mobil -> o2
• ortel mobile -> o2
• otelo -> Vodafone
• Penny mobil -> Telekom
• Tchibo mobil -> o2
• WhatsApp SIM -> o2
• yourfone -> o2