Mobile phone provider Blauworld has cut rates for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS by cell phone. From now on, Blauworld only charges EUR 0.49 per megabyte for accessing the internet over the network of operator E-Plus instead of EUR 9.00 as before. This sounds like a great bargain for new and existing customers of Blauworld, however, in comparison to tariffs of other German discount providers this price for using the mobile internet is still expensive. Customers of other brands using the E-Plus network such as Aldi Talk, Blau or Simyo only pay EUR 0.24 per megabyte – that’s less than half of it.

In the past few years German network operator E-Plus has been successful with several low-cost brands for mobile phone calls and messaging such as Ay Yildiz or Simyo and not so much with own tariffs. Now, the operator takes it to the next level and does not distribute any price plans by itself anymore but just under its different brands instead. People looking for a postpaid price plan or flat rate tariff now have to look at the Base brand plans. Since the beginning of this month Base is offering two different price plans: a postpaid price plan with a two-year minimum term and with several tariff options and a prepaid price plan.

There are just about 150 brands in the German mobile phone market. With Simsay, another one is offering a prepaid price plan with low rates for national as well some international calls. Over the network of operator E-Plus, users of the prepaid SIM card of Simsay can make phone calls to other home phones or mobile phones and check their voice mail within Germany for EUR 0.089 per minute. Mobile phone calls to other subscibers of the Simsay tariff cost only EUR 0.059 per minute. For sending SMS messages within Germany Simsay charges EUR 0.089 as well, for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS EUR 0.29 per megabyte. The prepaid starter package including a SIM card and calling credit of EUR 5.00 is available at www.simsay.de for EUR 4.95.

Getting a new landline is pretty expensive, using call-through services is quite complicated – thus, two adequate alternatives for making international calls at low rates are not available to many phone users. Another way to make phone calls from Germany to other countries in the world at comparably low rates is to buy a prepaid SIM card of a German discount provider specialized in international calls. They offer cell phone plans with which mobile phone users can call family members, friends or acquaintances for rates beginning at EUR 0.09 per minute. However, prices vary and interested parties should select their prepaid starter package carefully.

My top price plans of 2009 in Germany for home phone, broadband internet, mobile phone and mobile internet users are: O2 o of mobile network operator O2 Germany, Aldi Talk 24 Stunden Internet Flatrate of discount provider Medion Mobile and the double flat rate tariff Alice Fun of Hansenet. All three offers are still available and will stay my first choices in 2010 when it comes to booking a new home phone, mobile phone or internet package until another provider will launch a better price plan. Read why I recommend these three tariffs.

German mobile operator E-Plus will expand its 3G network over the next years. The company has announced to upgrade the 3G network and offer mobile data services with data transmissions of up to 21.6 mbps. The customers will continue to benefit from highly attractive pricing, E-Plus says. More information on the network expansion will be released at the beginning of next year.

Mobile phone provider Ortel Mobile offers low rates for international phone calls. For example, with the prepaid price plan of Ortel Mobile customers can make mobile phone calls from Germany to other countries such as the United States, Great Britain, France or Spain for EUR 0.08 (to landline numbers) or EUR 0.29 (to mobile phone numbers) per minute. In addition to the price per minute users also pay a connection fee of EUR 0.15 per call. Until January 15th, Ortel Mobile offers bonus credit when customers top up their prepaid calling credit: Ortel Mobile gives an additional 25 percent on the amount of money being topped up.

Discount provider Blau has launched a new mobile internet tariff for notebook, netbook or smartphone users. This mobile internet tariff option can be booked by customers with the prepaid price plan Einheitstarif on the website or by dialing 1155 and offers 100 MB data volume over a 30-day period for EUR 3.99. After the 30-day period the tariff option extends for another month when the user hasn’t cancelled it. When having exceeded the 100 MB within the 30 days the user pays EUR 0.24 for each additional megabyte. Blau gives the customer sufficient notice by SMS message when the 100 MB have been used up.

Prepaid mobile data price plans are suited for notebook and netbook users who need mobile internet access via GRPS or UMTS at irregular intervals or just sporadically. Since there is no long minimum term, such prepaid data price plans also lend themselves to being used by travellers, exchange students or business men abroad who stay in Germany only for a few weeks or months. This article gives notebook and netbook users an overview of current prepaid starter packages including an UMTS surf stick and a mobile internet price plan of mobile phone providers in Germany.

Mobile phone provider Medion Mobile cuts prices in its prepaid price plan Aldi Talk. From now on, new customers and existing Aldi Talk users pay EUR 0.11 per minute for mobile phone calls to home phones and other mobile phones in Germany and EUR 0.11 for every SMS message sent within Germany. Until today, Aldi Talk users were charged EUR 0.12 for these services. Accessing the internet over the E-Plus network via GPRS or UMTS costs EUR 0.24 per megabyte.