Prepaid mobile vs. landline telephone service

I am moving to Düsseldorf next month, I was wondering it would be cheaper to get a prepaid Mobile phone in Germany rather than having a landline setup in my apartment. The only reason is that I want a number that would allow my brother in the US to call me, I heard that mobile phone service in Germany is different from the US in that there is no charge for an incoming call. Are there any good plans one would recommend? I was thinking of getting Vodafone's prepaid service, T-mobile looked okay. Is it also possible to get internet service without activating a phone or cable TV?

look up www.billigertelefonieren.de. They have a schnellrechner where you can type in your useage and it shows you a list of the best prices. You may have to do a bit of tweaking and check the mobile section. but if you understand german, you should be able to work it out.

Yes there is no charge for incoming calls, however your brother will be paying for calling a German cellphone and the charge is a lot more per min than calling a landline (add 20c a min or something)! So even though you won't pay, your brother will.

If you are staying for 2 years or more, you might want to consider getting a 2 year contract with a plan, some providers (O2 and Vodafone for sure) offer you a Home Zone, that means when you are at home, you can be reached on a landline number on your cellphone, that way it is cheaper for you to call people from home, as well as people calling you from abroad (or Germany).
All main prepaid services are about the same, T-Mobile and Vodafone are best for coverage, then comes O2 and e-plus. There are some offers if you already have a phone (a tri or quadband phone that is unlocked and works with SIM cards), that are a lot better than other prepaid services, but you don't get a phone with the SIM card.

Can't really give you any advice on the internet thing, as far as I know there is no way around cable or DSL, but there might be satellite offers, no idea though how expensive or good they are.

If you call from the US to a German mobile phone it is about .20 cents a minute...rather pricey.

You could however use the internet via your mobile phone. Charges will depend on the provider that you choose.

Oh! I forgot to mention. the www.billigertelefonieren.de website has an Internet tab to take you to www.billiger-surfen.de which compares and lists the best or cheapest internet providers.

You can also get internet access over a cable connection. You do not need a landline for that.

i know O2 has an internet/telephony program in place. but the O2 homezone deal is fantastic. quite a coup on their part.

EDIT: we both have O2, but were with 1&1 before O2 released their program, so no idea how it is.

Vodafone offers DSL without a T-Com phone line:
http://shop.vodafone.de/online/privat.cfm?go=dsl.main

My brother uses an internet telephone system in his home, anyway I just wanted to have a number that he can call me if there is in an emergency. The Vodafone DSL service, is it available in Düsseldorf? I am only planning to stay in Australia for six months and then leave, in December I am moving to Australia which is where I plan to reside permanently.

Who gives a cunting fuck where you are going to live. Start by saying thank-you for the information you have already been given. Might make people more likely to offer information in the future. Fucking plebs these days, no fucking manners.

I thought Alexis with her golden skin and beauty would have them queuing to offer her free DSL?