Mobile phone and internet provider O2 Germany lets new DSL subscribers choose between a short minimum term of just one month and a long minimum term of 24 months. The only difference between these two options: New customers choosing a DSL contract with a long minimum term get a discount on the monthly fees. However, O2 Germany is one of the few German DSL providers not charging new subscribers deciding on a short minimum term a one-time set-up fee and higher purchase prices for new DSL router. A DSL package of O2 Germany with a short minimum term of one month and flat rate tariffs for web access and landline calls to other home phones in Germany is available for prices beginning at EUR 25.00 per month.

Some DSL and home phone packages of German providers such as Alice, Congstar and O2 Germany come with a minimum term of four or six weeks. The DSL packages include at least an analog landline and a DSL connection with a flat rate tariff for web access. Sometimes a flat rate tariff for landline calls to other home phones in Germany is already included as well. Since some providers rely in certain regions on a wholesale product of Deutsche Telekom in order to provide landline and broadband internet connections, they may add an additional EUR 5.00 per month to the standard monthly fee – depending on the place of residence of the subscriber. That is why in some cases the following overview of the Phone Guide Germany shows two prices for one DSL package.

People in Germany who are worried about friends or family members will probably not get through when trying to call Haiti now because after the devastating earthquake communications infrastructure in that country is down. And: Making a landline or a mobile phone call from Germany to Haiti can be really expensive. We show you how to keep costs low when calling friends or families in Haiti now or later.

Despite DSL, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is still quite popular among home phone users in Germany. It offers two lines, at least three phone numbers (Multiple Subscriber Numbers or MSN) and a better voice quality as well as more service attributes than analog lines. It also helps internet users who cannot get a DSL or another broadband connection by doubling the data transmission rate of the narrow-band internet connection. Here are three ISDN telephones that are available in German stores for less than EUR 100.00.

In a loose order we present individual price plans with a short minimum term for home phone, mobile phone or internet users in Germany. This time we give you all important details on the DSL package “DSL 16000 flex” of the provider Easybell. This DSL package includes a DSL line with data transmission rates of up to 16 mbps (download) and up to 1 mbps (upload) and a flat rate tariff for accessing the internet. The monthly charge for the user amounts to EUR 15.99, the set-up fee amounts to EUR 69.00. Currently, new subscribers pay only EUR 9.99 per month over the first half year. DSL hardware is available at the Easybell web shop for prices starting at EUR 39.00.

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.

Two German call by call providers have cut their prices for international calls from Germany to countries like the United States, Spain and Turkey. With the call by call service 01085 users can make landline phone calls to home phones in the US for EUR 0.019 per minute, with the call by call service 010012 such calls only cost EUR 0.018 per minute. For making landline calls to home phones in Spain 010012 charges EUR 0.0188 per minute. Home phones in Turkey can be called for EUR 0.039 per minute with 01085. 01085 will not raise prices for these landline calls to the US and Turkey before January 31st, 2010. 010012 will not raise its prices for landline calls to Spain and the United States until March 30th, 2010.

German telephone and internet provider Klatro has launched a new telephone service for home phone and mobile phone users called “Callavista Phone”. This new service is free of monthly fees as well as minimum charges and combines call-through, call-back and internet telephony via a SIP client. It is especially suited for international calls to other countries by home phone or mobile phone or for international roaming calls by cell phone and offers free community calls such as Skype. The advantage of the Callavista phone services to other cost-saving alternatives such as call by call, buying a prepaid SIM card in the host country or using special mobile phone tariffs for international calls: It can be used independently of any provider either by cell phone or by home phone and it is practically available worldwide.

Currently, he German-based discount chain Lidl is selling WiFi routers for EUR 7.99 and additional EUR 3.95 for delivery. The hardware cheapy Targa WR 500 VoIP is only available at the Lidl online store while stocks last, not in regular stores. I do not know of any cheaper DSL hardware offer in the German market at the moment. Usually, you get a new DSL modem or router almost for free by your provider when you close a new DSL contract. However, when this first device is out order or you want to avoid long minimum term contracts it could make sense to buy the hardware on one’s own.

Around the world, swine flu (H1N1) related deaths are on the rise. In Germany eleven deaths from swine flu (H1N1) haven been reported so far. Most of these fatal cases had been caused by complications associated with other illnesses such as pneumonia for example. Even though most of these cases of infection have taken a mild course so far, experts warn there could be a second wave of pandemic influenza beginning. Personal hygiene measures and vaccination are among the most important prevention measures. Doctors in Germany have also begun contacting high-priority patients to get their swine flu (H1N1) shot. The Phone Guide Germany tells you where to find English language information about the swine flu (H1N1) in Germany by telephone or on the internet.