Telephone, Cell Phones & Internet

Telephones

You have two choices when setting up your phone: Analog or ISDN. It is likely that the apartment or home you are living in already has a phone system in place.

If you need to set up service yourself, you will need to visit a Deutsche Telekom office or a Deutsche Post retail store to set up the service you want. While Deutsche Post is the postal company, it is privately owned and has a variety of services.

Deutsche Telekom
Is partnered with T-Com which can provide all of your telephone, internet and cell phone needs. They do not have an English language website, so you can find out more information about their services at the Deutsche Post website.

Deutsche Post - English language website
Certain retail outlets can set up your telephone, internet and cell phone service using Deutsche Telecom. Most of the services are explained on their website.

To find a location near you, go to the telecommunications section of their website.
1. Click the button for Retail Outlet Services.
2. Choose the Retail Outlet Search button on the right.
3. The search form is in German, but you only need to put in your postal code in the field that says "Postleitzahl" and the city in the "Ort" field.
4. Click the Weiter button to perform the search.
5. This will give you a list of branches near you and a map where they are located.
6. Click on the street name to find out when they are open.

Codes:
BA > Automatic stamp machine
SB > Self service center
Post-Service Filiale > Post Office Service Branch

Making Cheap Phones Calls in Germany

Making phone calls in Germany can quickly add up! If you need to find cheaper telephone rates for placing calls from Germany to overseas, visit www.billiger-telefonieren.de. To access special rates for long-distance calls you need to dial a five to six digit prefix number before the number you wish to call. The site features a calculator that will find the best rate for you and provide you with the prefix numbers, depending on when and where to you wish to place a call.

The best way to make a cheap phone call is to use a landline with service provided by Deutsche Telekom because most private landlines and all mobile phone service providers have their own fixed rates and won't allow you to use a special prefix. In this case the calculator will help you to estimate the cost of the call you are about to make.Unfortunately, this service is only available in German so here is a quick vocabulary list that will help you to find the cheapest rate:

1. First select what type of phone you wish to place a call: choose "Festnetz" for a landline or "Mobilfunk" for a mobile phone.
2. Next, choose the drop down menu titled "Ferngespräch" to select the destination for a long-distance call and click the "berechen" button.
3. You will be sent to a new page and click the "Ihre Auswahl andern" button to make your selections.
4. The country you have choosen will be in the drop down menu. Next check the Call by Call selection then and how the duration of the call should be measured, either "Sekundengenau", per second or "Minutentakt", per Minute. "Alle Taktungen" means you will accept either way. Under "Optionen" be sure to check off "Nur ohne Anmeldung" (without notification) and "Nur ohne Grundgebühr" (without base fee) as this will show you the easiest and best deals. Then click the "berechen" button.
5. The site will then show you the cheapest providers and list their rates per minute.
6. Choose the access number you want to use under "Zugang".
7. To place the call dial the access number, country code, and the telephone number.

If you don't have access to a landline phone, buying a calling card might be the solution for you. This is a not the same as a telephone card for a public phone booth. A calling card simply provides you with a dial-in number and a pin code. Some providers don't even offer these cards to their customers but instead communicate the numbers by email or text message.

There are two methods of using a calling card: "call back" or "call through". To use callback you first dial a free number, usually in the USA and put down the receiver after the first tone. This will only work if the number that you are calling from is being transmitted. You will then be called back by a computer that asks you for your pin code and destination number of your call. Callthrough works directly without being called back. You simply dial the telephone number provided and follow the prompts to enter your pin code and the number you want to call.

Mobile phone providers as well as public telephone booths will accept these calling cards but the rates are considerably higher than if you use a landline. To avoid these extra costs, look for Internet-Cafés that also offer telephone booths. Most sell calling cards and some will let you use their phone for free if you purchase the card there.

Be sure to remember that regardless which of the above methods you wish to use to place your call, you still have to use the international dialing code for the country you want to call, for example 001 for the USA or 0044 for the U.K, followed by the telephone number.

Cell Phones - "Handys"

The two most popular companies are T-Mobile which can be set up through their retail outlets, Deutsche Telecom and Deutsche Post and Vodafone which has retail outlets all over the city. It is more cost effective to make calls to people using the same company, so if you plan to talk to certain people a lot, it would be a good idea to find out what service they use. You will only be charged for the calls you make, not the calls you receive.

You must have a physical German address to purchase a cell phone and you will need to show a different passport for each phone purchased. You can choose between a fixed monthly plan or purchase prepaid cards and pay as you go. Prepaid cards can be purchased at Saturn or at any of the cell phone retail outlets in the city.

If you would like more cell phone options and a higher possibility of finding an English speaker, buy your phone at Saturn in the Altmarkt Galerie. The cell phone department is on the second floor. There is usually someone in the department that can speak English. Just don't expect them to be very helpful...

Vodafone - English language website
While there are many Vodafone locations all over the city, do not expect to find anyone who speaks English. To learn about your options, explore the website first and decide on the features you want. Use your German / English dictionary or translation website and print out your request before visiting a Vodafone store.

The website covers all the features offered for your phone and information about how to use your phone in other countries.

Internet

You have three choices for internet service, dial up, ISDN and DSL. Dresden does not have DSL capability in every neighborhood so you will need to ask your landlord or Deutsche Telekom if your neighborhood is wired for DSL.

If you plan to be on the internet a lot, it can be VERY expensive to simply use dial up or ISDN. You need to explore options for set monthly fees or you could be very shocked at the bill.

If you use ISDN you will need to install a Fritz card in an empty slot on the back of your computer and load the software. You can buy these at Saturn or any computer shop and it will cost about €75 and they are very simple to install. The software will come with T-Mobile software, but it is not in English and will be difficult to understand.

If you use DSL, you will need to get a modem from Deutsche Telekom when you set up your service.