Overview of Mobile Internet Flat Rate Tariffs for Notebook and Netbook Users in Germany

5 June 2010 One Comment

Picture: Phone Guide Germany

This is an overview of postpaid mobile data bundles that are available for notebook and netbook users in Germany. The starter packages usually include a SIM card and a flat rate tariff with s short minimum term commitment of up to six months for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS as well as an optional 3G surf stick. Subscribers can choose between different offers in the networks of Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile), Vodafone, E-Plus, and O2 German. In order to book these postpaid mobile data price plans, users have to indicate a residence and a banking account in Germany. Monthly and set-up fees are payed by direct debit.

Data transfer speeds are still highest in the 3G networks of Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and O2 Germany with up to 7.2 mbps download speed. However, these fast data transfer speeds are not available everywhere in Germany. Especially in rural areas, users might experience much slower data transmission. The fourth German mobile network operator, E-Plus, has just begun expanding its UMTS and HSPA network. In almost all flat rate tariffs, data transfer speeds are reduced for the remaining days of a month as soon as a certain amount of data volume has been downloaded (usually 5 GB, sometimes even less) – in this overview these data volume limits are indicated in parentheses.

In contrast to the mobile internet plans over the O2 Germany network, T-Mobile and Vodafone do not allow services such as voice over IP, instant messaging or peer-to-peer in their networks unless the subscriber books a special tariff option.

Click on the providers’ names in the table to go to their websites.

Provider	Network	Price Plan	Monthly Fee	Set-up Fee	3G Surf Stick	Bandwidth	Minimum Term
Base	E-Plus	Mein Base + Internet Laptop Flat	€ 20.00	€ 25.00	€ 49.00	1.8 mbps	1 month
Bigsim	Dt. Telekom	Data	€ 19.95	€ 24.95	€ 49.00	7.2 mbps	1 month
Discosurf	Dt. Telekom	Internet Flatrate	€ 19.95 (over first 6 months)	€ 24.95	€ 0.00	7.2 mbps	6 months
Fastsim	Deutsche Telekom	Internet Flat	€ 19.95 (over first 6 months)	€ 24.95	€ 39.95	7.2 mbps	1 month
Hansenet	O2 Germany	Alice Mobile Surf Flat Laptop	€ 19.90	€ 19.90	€ 69.90	7.2 mbps	1 month
Klarmobil	O2 Germany	Flat 500	€ 9.95	€ 9.95	€ 49.95	7.2 mbps	1 month
Klarmobil	O2 Germany	Flat 5000	€ 19.95	€ 9.95	€ 49.95	7.2 mbps	1 month
Maxxim	Dt. Telekom	Data	€ 19.95	€ 24.95	€ 49.00	7.2 mbps	1 month
McSIM	Vodafone	Data	€ 19.95 (over first 6 months)	€ 24.95	€ 49.00	7.2 mbps	1 month
O2 Germany	O2 Germany	O2o + Internet-Pack L	€ 25.00	€ 25.00	€ 61.00	7.2 mbps	3 months
Simply	Dt. Telekom	Data	€ 19.95	€ 24.95	€ 49.00	7.2 mbps	1 month
Tchibo Mobil	O2 Germany	Internet-Flatrate XL	€ 19.95	€ 0.00	€ 39.90	7.2 mbps	1 month