Communication

Finding your way through the maze of various telephone connection possibilities in Germany is not always easy if you are an international student who is trying to settle in at the beginning of your studies in Landau. Here, we have put together some of the most important information you can use based on the experiences of previous international students. But you yourself still have to decide which option suits your needs best. Basically there are four ways of getting a telephone connection in Germany.

  1. Installation of a landline phone connection in your apartment
  2. Connection from the mobile phone providers
  3. Getting Internet Connection for Telecommunication Use & VoIP
  4. Pre-paid cards and cheap telephone cards (international calls)

The installation of a landline telephone connection in your apartment is the most common procedure in Germany. This can be done with one of the biggest German telephone providers, for example "Telekom" or "Vodafone Deutschland". In both cases, it is advisable to first check which telephone connection your previous tenant had (you should be able to find this out by asking your landlord) and maybe to continue using the same provider, if this is in your interest. All further steps will have to be arranged with the respective provider.

Main mobile phone providers are Telekom, o2, Vodafone. When inquiring about contract terms & conditions make sure you mention that you are a student; since most of them have special offers and tariffs for students.

In order to use Internet at home in general, you can make a contract with Internet providers such as "Telekom" or "Vodafone Deutschland".

Last but not least, there still is the option of buying pre-paid mobile phone cards from different providers (Vodafone, congstar, fonic, ALDItalk etc.) and recharging them.

For all information about telephone, mobile, and Internet connections you should always pay attention that you understand all terms and conditions before signing a contract. To be on the safe side of communication problems, you might want to take somebody along with you who understands German well enough and can explain everything to you.

Your bills, correspondence and customer care will usually be in German. It is important to be aware of the terms of conditions (German: AGB) of your service agreement. Many phone and Internet contracts are only available with a minimum 2-year term, and also require that you cancel months in advance in order to avoid an automatic and binding contract extension.