Discount provider Simsay has launched a new mobile phone price plan called “Global Card” for low-rate international calls from Germany to other countries. Initially, customers can make international calls to landlines in Poland, Russia and the Ukraine for EUR 0.029 per minute or to landlines in China, Vietnam, Pakistan and India for EUR 0.049 per minute. Mobile phone calls from Germany to home phones in Nigeria and Ghana cost EUR 0.079 per minute with the Simsay “Global Card” price plan. However, these low rates for international mobile phone calls are only valid until July 31st. And: There is an additional connection fee of – depending on the country – EUR 0.15 or EUR 0.19 per international call. Simsay uses the network of operator E-Plus.

Several German mobile phone providers have released information about their mobile data tariffs dedicated to the iPad which will hit Apple stores in Germany on May 28th. Only some of these prepaid price plans of discount providers we have already presented as well as the offers of the network operators Vodafone and O2 Germany. Here is a new overview of all micro SIM packages with mobile data tariffs for connecting the iPad to the internet in Germany via GPRS or UMTS. This selection only includes prepaid price plans and postpaid price plans with a short minimum term commitment of just one month.

One year after having launched the new O2o price plan which is available as prepaid or as postpaid version, the German network operator O2 Germany reduces the cost limit per month to EUR 50.00. This applies to all prepaid and postpaid as well as existing with an EUR 60.00 cost limit and new O2o subscriptions. O2 Germany calls this monthly cost cap “airbag”. It is the maximum charge O2o subscribers have to pay per month for calls and texting (SMS) within Germany which, in the end, makes the O2o price plan some kind of flat rate tariff. Charges for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS do not count, though.

Operator Vodafone has changed prices in its prepaid mobile data price plans called “Websessions”. Smartphone, netbook and notebook users can now choose between four different tariff options with 15 minutes to 30 days for charges between EUR 0.49 and EUR 39.95 for accessing the internet in Germany via GPRS or UMTS over the Vodafone network. The flat rate tariff for one month is a new option and offers a data volume 3 GB for transfers via GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or HSPA for each billing cycle. Once the booked billing cycle has expired or the data volume has been used up, the web session stops automatically and the smartphone or notebook user has to book another one if he or she wants to stay connected to the web.

Now it’s official: Apple will start marketing the iPad in Germany on May 28th. Next week, interested people can already order an iPad at the Apple web store. There will be six different models with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB memory capacity and just WiFi or WiFi and 3G connectivity. Apple sells the iPad in Germany to purchase prices between EUR 499.00 (iPad 16 GB WiFi) and EUR 814.00 (iPad 64 GB WiFi + 3G).

Discotel and Maxxim, two low-cost providers offering prepaid price plans for mobile phone calls over the network of operator T-Mobile, grant extra airtime worth EUR 50.00 to new subscribers. New customers buying the prepaid starter package of Discotel or Maxxim until the end of May will receive an initial airtime worth EUR 5.00 as well as credit of EUR 15.00 each at the beginning of the following three months. The credit can be used for calls, text messaging (SMS) and mobile internet access.

By the end of May the Apple iPad will be available in the German market, both the WiFi model and the WiFi + 3G model. Even though we don’t know for what purchase prices Apple will be selling the iPad in Germany, first mobile phone providers have already put together special prepaid starter packages. These prepaid packages include a mobile data plan for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over a German mobile network as well as the micro SIM card which fits into the iPad (and maybe into the upcoming Apple iPhone 4G). Here is a short overview of prepaid starter packages for the Apple iPad 3G as far as they have already been announced by German providers.

Because of high data roaming charges it is not advisable to use an UMTS surf stick with a German SIM card in Denmark. And don’t count on finding an internet café in one of the small villages along the North Sea coast. Therefore, it is probably best to consider buying a prepaid SIM card (with or without an UMTS surf stick) of a Danish provider. In a mobile phone shop of operator TDC, I have bought a prepaid starter package called “Bredband-2-GO-Cash” including a SIM card, the UMTS surf stick Huawei E1550 USB and credit for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over a period of one week. Purchase price: DKK 290.00 which is around EUR 35.00. Internet access for one day costs DKK 39.00, for one week DKK 129.00, or for one month DKK 299.00.

Kolaykart is a prepaid price plan of E-Plus brand Ay Yildiz offering low rates for mobile calls within Germany and to Turkey. For calls to other E-Plus subscribers and to landlines in Turkey Kolaykart users are charged just EUR 0.06 per minute. For calls to landlines and other mobile phones in Germany as well as to mobile phones in Turkey Kolaykart users pay EUR 0.16 per minute. All other international mobile phone calls with the Kolaykart prepaid SIM card can be made for prices between EUR 0.16 and EUR 0.99 per minute.

Low-cost provider Fonic has launched a new flat rate tariff option for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over the network of O2 Germany with a mobile or smartphone. The “Handy-Internet-Paket” is available to Fonic prepaid subscribers for EUR 9.95 and includes 200 MB for faster data transmissions via EDGE, UMTS or HSPA with up to 7.2 mbps (download) over a 30-day period. After having reached the data volume limit, there are no further costs for the user, but the bandwith will be reduced to GPRS level for the remaining days of that billing period.