Berlet Mobil is a new mobile phone provider in the German market. With the Berlet Mobil prepaid price plan mobile phone users can make calls to landlines and other cell phones in Germany for € 0.09 per minute and to other Berlet Mobil subscribers for € 0.05 per minute. Checking voice mail within Germany is free of charge. Mobile phone calls to from Germany to other countries are rather expensive with € 0.99 per minute.

Since 1 July 2010, new rules within the European Union are putting a cap on mobile roaming charges. Travelers roaming in other EU member states no longer need to worry about accidentially running up huge bills when accessing the web over mobile networks via mobile phone, notebook or netbook. Travelers’ data-roaming limit is automatically set at € 59.90 (long price) unless they have chosen another limit or a special traveler’s tariff option. Charges for receiving or making mobile phone calls in another country within the EU fall below € 0.18 and € 47 per minute. The former “cost trap” voice mail has been minimized since receiving a voice mail message while roaming is now free of charge.

The Apple iPhone 4 is now available in Germany. Unlike in most other countries, there is one mobile phone provider in Germany having the exclusive rights for selling the iPhone 4. This means, in this country users can actually buy an iPhone 4 with Net-lock at the shops of operator Telekom (T-Mobile) when they also enter into an agreement with an initial term of two years only. However, there are some other ways to get an Apple iPhone 4 in Germany.

German social networking service VZ-Netzwerke (meinVZ, schuelerVZ and StudiVZ)is launching a cell phone plan that can be booked by community members and other mobile phone users. The basic version of VZmobil is similar to many other prepaid price plans in Germany with low rates of € 0.09 per minute for calls to landlines and other mobile phones in Germany, € 0.09 for every text message (SMS) sent within Germany, and € 0.24 per megabyte for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over the network of operator O2 Germany. On the other hand, VZmobil comes with lots of tariff options and included services.

German TV station Sat.1 is marketing a 3G web stick and different prepaid mobile data tariffs for accessing the internet over the German Vodafone network. The prepaid starter package including the UMTS surf stick Huawei E160E, a SIM card and credit of € 10.00 is available at the Sat.1 web store at www.sticksat1.de for a purchase price of € 29.95. The SIM card for the Vodafone network with a starting balance of € 10.00, but without the web stick costs € 14.95. After having connected to the internet and opened the web browser of their laptop or netbook, users can choose on a starting page between four different prepaid mobile data plans.

For three weeks the Apple iPad has been available in Germany. Several mobile phone providers have released micro-SIM cards for accessing the internet with the iPad WiFi + 3G over their mobile networks. At www.teltarif.de we have tested the micro-SIM cards and mobile internet accesses of the four German network operators Telekom (T-Mobile), Vodafone, E-Plus and O2 Germany. This is a short summary of our experiences regarding purchase of the micro SIM card for the Apple iPad and its activation, the selection of mobile data price plans with a short minimum term commitment, network quality and the use of certain mobile data services such as voice over IP or instant messaging.

Mobile phone provider Klarmobil has launched a new postpaid price plan for cell phone users that comes without monthly charge and without long minimum term commitment. The cell phone plan “Freenet.de Mobiltarif” is available at , the starter package (SIM card and credit of € 10.00) costs € 9.95. With this Klarmobil price plan, subscribers can call landlines and other cell phones in Germany for € 0.08 per minute and send text messages (SMS) within Germany for € 0.08 per message.

German coffee house chain Tchibo is launching a new mobile data flat rate tariff. The new tariff for accessing the internet over the O2 Germany network is called “Internet-Flatrate L”, costs € 9.95 per month and includes 500 MB data volume for faster data transfers via EDGE, UMTS or HSPA. Once this limit has been reached, the subscriber gets only GPRS speed for the remaining days of that month. New subscribers also buying the UMTS surf stick of Tchibo (with SIM lock) for € 19.95 can use the “Internet-Flatrate L” the first month for free.

Soccer fans traveling to South Africa for watching the games of the 2010 FIFA World Cup should leave the SIM cards of their regular mobile phone provider at home - because of high roaming charges for outgoing and incoming calls as well as for mobile data services. At teltarif.de we have found out: Subscribers of a cell phone plan of one of the German operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, E-Plus or Germany pay as much as € 2.55 per minute when calling their family back at home from South Africa. For incoming calls in South Africa German operators charge up to € 2.00 per minute. A less expensive way to keep in touch with family and friends at home while visiting South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup from June, 11th to July, 11th is to buy a prepaid SIM card of a South African provider.

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.