SIM cards and home internet in Germany: setup guide for newcomers

A working German phone number is not optional. You need it for bank account verification, Auslanderbehorde appointment bookings, two-factor authentication, receiving delivery updates, and reaching your landlord. Get a SIM card on day one. Home internet can wait a few weeks, but you should understand your options before signing a 24-month contract.

Day 1: get a prepaid SIM immediately

Your first SIM should be prepaid. You can buy one at any supermarket, drugstore (dm, Rossmann), electronics store (MediaMarkt, Saturn), or directly at a carrier store. No Anmeldung needed for prepaid. Just your passport.

Activation requires identity verification by German law. You cannot just insert the SIM and go. Two options:

• Video-Ident: open the provider's app or website, do a video call with an agent who checks your passport. Takes 10 to 15 minutes. Available in English for most providers.
• In-store activation: buy the SIM at a carrier store (Telekom, Vodafone, o2) and they verify your passport on the spot. Fastest option if there is a store nearby.

Some supermarket SIMs (Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect) also accept in-store activation at the checkout or via PostIdent at a post office.

Prepaid SIM options (no Anmeldung, passport only)

Which network matters? Germany has three mobile networks:

• Telekom (T-Mobile): best coverage nationwide, including rural areas and train routes. Most expensive.
• Vodafone: strong coverage in cities and suburbs. Slightly weaker on rural highways and trains. Mid-price.
• o2 (Telefonica): good coverage in cities. Noticeably weaker in small towns and rural areas. Cheapest.

If you live and work in a major city (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart), all three networks work well. If you travel to rural areas or commute by regional train, Telekom or Vodafone is noticeably better.

Best pick for most new arrivals: Aldi Talk or Lidl Connect for pure value. Fraenk if you want Telekom network quality. Lebara if you call India regularly on a phone line (not just WhatsApp).

Contract SIM: when and why to switch

A Laufzeitvertrag (contract SIM) requires:

• Anmeldung (address registration)
• German bank account with SEPA direct debit
• SCHUFA check (some providers reject new arrivals)

Why bother with a contract?

1. SCHUFA building: post-paid contracts report to SCHUFA. Prepaid does not. This is the main reason to switch. After 6 to 12 months of on-time payments, your SCHUFA file shows a reliable credit entry.
2. Better phone deals: flagship smartphones (iPhone, Samsung Galaxy) are heavily subsidized on 24-month contracts. You can get a phone worth €1,200 for €1/month plus your plan.
3. Higher data allowances: contract plans typically offer more data per euro than prepaid.
4. 5G access: most 5G plans are contract-only.

When to switch

Switch from prepaid to contract after you have:

• Completed Anmeldung
• Opened a German bank account
• Lived in Germany for at least 1 month (some carriers want to see a few weeks of banking history)

Contract SIM providers and pricing

If SCHUFA rejects you: try congstar or Blau. They have lower SCHUFA thresholds than the premium brands. Alternatively, some MVNOs like Fraenk (Telekom) offer flexible month-to-month plans that are easier to get.

Contract trap: the standard 24-month contract auto-renews for another 12 months if you do not cancel at least 3 months before it ends. Set a calendar reminder for month 21.

Home internet

What is available

Home internet in Germany runs over four technologies:

• VDSL (copper phone line): the most widely available. Speeds typically 50 to 250 Mbps. Available almost everywhere.
• Cable (coaxial): delivered via TV cable infrastructure. Speeds 100 to 1,000 Mbps. Only available if your building is cabled (common in cities, check with your landlord).
• Fibre (FTTH / Glasfaser): speeds 300 to 1,000 Mbps. Rolling out across Germany but still limited to specific neighborhoods. Check availability at your exact address.
• 4G/5G home router: wireless alternative if wired options are slow or unavailable. Speeds vary by signal strength.

Major home internet providers

The reality of German internet speeds

Marketing says gigabit. Reality in your apartment may be different.

Older German buildings (pre-2000) often have phone lines that max out at 50 to 100 Mbps on VDSL. Your building may not have cable at all. Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) is expanding fast but is still only available at roughly 30% of German addresses.

Before signing a contract: enter your exact address on the provider's website. They will show what speeds are actually available at your location. Do not sign a 1,000 Mbps contract if the maximum at your address is 100 Mbps. The provider is legally obligated to tell you the minimum guaranteed speed, and you can cancel if they consistently underdeliver.

Compare providers before signing

Before committing to a 24-month contract, compare what is actually available at your address. Verivox* lets you enter your postcode and see all available providers, speeds, and prices side by side. It takes 2 minutes and can save you €10 to €20/month by finding a promotion or a faster connection you did not know about.

Ordering and installation timeline

1. Order online or in-store.
2. Router ships within 3 to 5 days (or pick up in-store for Telekom and Vodafone).
3. If no technician visit is needed (your apartment already has an active line), self-installation takes 30 minutes. Plug in the router, activate online, done.
4. If a technician visit is needed (new line, fibre installation, or cable activation), expect a 2 to 6 week wait for the appointment. Telekom and Vodafone are the slowest; smaller providers are sometimes faster.

Temporary internet while waiting

If your home internet takes weeks to arrive and you need to work from home immediately:

Phone hotspot: your mobile SIM can share data via WiFi hotspot. If you have 15 to 25 GB on your plan, this covers basic work (email, video calls, light browsing) for a week or two. Not enough for heavy video streaming or large file downloads.

Vodafone GigaCube: a 4G/5G mobile router. No contract option available (€45/month for 100 GB, cancel anytime). Plug it in, connect via WiFi. Speeds depend on your local cell tower. Good backup for 1 to 2 months while waiting for a fixed line.

Telekom Speedbox: similar to GigaCube. €40/month, 100 GB, cancelable monthly.

Co-working spaces: most German cities have co-working spaces with fast WiFi. Good temporary solution if your apartment internet is not set up yet. Expect €10 to €20 for a day pass or €100 to €200 for a monthly desk.

Public WiFi: Deutsche Bahn stations, Starbucks, and some city centers offer free WiFi. Unreliable for work but fine for quick tasks.

Calling India

WhatsApp voice and video calls: free over data or WiFi. This is what 90% of Indians in Germany use. If both sides have decent internet, call quality is excellent.

Lebara: includes cheap international calling rates. Calls to Indian mobiles cost around €0.03 to €0.05 per minute on certain plans. Useful for calling older family members who do not use WhatsApp.

Skype credit: buy credit online, call Indian landlines and mobiles at around €0.02 per minute. Reliable backup for when WhatsApp quality drops.

Your carrier's international rates: Telekom, Vodafone, and o2 charge €0.29 to €0.99 per minute for calls to India on standard plans. Avoid using your regular plan for India calls unless you have a specific international add-on.

eSIM

If your phone supports eSIM (most iPhones since XS, Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer), you can get an eSIM instead of a physical SIM card.

eSIM providers: Telekom, Vodafone, and o2 all offer eSIM for both prepaid and contract plans. Fraenk is eSIM-only. Activation is instant: scan a QR code and the SIM is loaded onto your phone.

Advantage: you can keep your Indian SIM in the physical slot for receiving Indian OTPs and bank messages while using a German eSIM for daily use. Dual-SIM setup is extremely useful for Indians maintaining both Indian and German financial accounts.

Number porting (Rufnummernmitnahme)

When you switch from prepaid to contract (or between any providers), you can keep your German phone number. This is called Rufnummernmitnahme (number porting).

• It is free by law. The old provider cannot charge you for releasing your number.
• The process: when signing up with the new provider, select "take existing number" and enter your current number. The new provider handles the transfer.
• Porting takes 1 to 2 business days. During the switchover there may be a few hours where your number is unreachable.

Keep your German phone number stable. Changing numbers means updating every bank, every Amt, every insurance, every subscription. Port your number whenever you switch providers.

A practical first-month plan

Day 1: Buy an Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect, or Fraenk prepaid SIM at the nearest supermarket or electronics store. Activate it via video-ident. You now have a working German number.

Week 1 to 2: Use prepaid SIM for all sign-ups (bank, Anmeldung appointment, insurance). Use phone hotspot if you need internet at home.

Week 2 to 4: After Anmeldung, order home internet. Check what is available at your address first.

Month 2: After your bank account is set up and your first salary arrives, switch to a contract SIM (congstar, otelo, or one of the big three). Port your prepaid number.

Month 2 to 3: Home internet installation happens. Cancel or downgrade your mobile hotspot backup.

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Related guides on this site

• First 30 days in Germany: the Indian arrival checklist
• Opening a bank account in Germany
• SCHUFA score in Germany
• Remote work in Germany
• Apartment hunting in Germany