Internet providers for short-term subscribers

Hi, I'm from Canada and don't speak a word of German. I'm doing an internship for 4 months in Germany (Ingelheim am Rhein) and I want to get internet in my apartment. I've asked Tmobile and Vodafone, but they have a minimum contract of at least 1 or 2 years. Obviously, that's not feasible as I will only be here till end of August. I DESPERATELY need internet in the apartment (to stay connected with family, school research, entertainment, downloading, the usual ...). Someone suggested I use Internet By Call, but at €0.59/minute, it's really expensive. I know I have the option of going to internet cafe's (half an hr walk), but I would really prefer having internet at home. Can anyone offer any suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help!

Alice. search for the thread about them.
No minimum contract, reasonably priced and nearly everyone has had good things to say about them.

Actually, here it is: Experiences with Alice DSL.

One thing to check though: how long it takes to get connected. All the DSL providers have to use T-kom to connect you... so that part might take a while (8+ weeks). My connection took something like 12 weeks, but I'm a freak case.

12 weeks??? Talk about great service! Is Alice available throughout all of Germany? Because I'm in a small town, not sure whether they would be available here. And I don't have a phone line yet (just using cell phone), would that be a problem or can they set that up for me too?

@michiwichi

Internet call-by-call (dial up) is not that expensive. On an average, it is about 1 cent per minute. I have used Arcor call-by-call internet and it is around .89 cents per minute. The following link in billiger-surfen shows a offer for 0.49 cents/minute.

http://www.billiger-surfen.de/anbieter/sch...mart97/surf-12/

If you need DSL, have a look at LIDL-DSL, provided by Carpo. No minimum contract time, no activation fees and they provide the modem for rent during contract period. 20.51 EUR per month for DSL flatrate (no phone flat).

http://www.lidl-dsl.de/

Activation time is normally 5-10 days as they just resell a T-Com line.

EDIT: Just saw your post. You will need a telephone line for any of the above service.

If you want a line quickly the only SURE way is to start with Telekom. They'll sort a line in a week or so, maybe less if you have previous tenants details. Simply order phone and DSL only. That'll cost you around €32 a month (for the 1Mbit DSL service) plus €159 connection cost. The connection charge can be partly be offset by getting invoicing by email and 2Mbit DSL (about €3 more a month), then they'll let you have a modem/router/VoIP/wireless access point for under €30 instead of the regular €150 or so. Be sure to get the cheapest phone service (as this has no long term contractual commitment) and NOT to take T-Online internet service (min 24 months). Then sign up for a non-contractual internet access provider such as JustDSL. They have a bunch of different packages without only 1 month commitment, sich as 3Gb/month (unlimited time) for €3 a month. Unless you are a big file downloader that's fine for most people. You can sign up with JustDSL and be on the internet over a working DSL connection in less than 10 minutes, so wtih the Telekom hook up can usually be surfing within the week, and can cancel at the end of any month. You could subsequently sign up to a flatrate service such as Alice (without an existing telekom line they can take up to 8 weeks to organise, but in the meantime you have your DIY package to use), but I'm not sure it's worth the additional hassle and possible risk for the short time you are in Germany. Using the VoIP router you can even establish a phone number in North America (so people can call you cheaply) and make cheap (sometimes even free!) phone calls.

For 30 bucks a month (tax included) Alice-DSL gives you a flatrate 4MB line and a free modem. NO activation cost. Can cancel any month, and the service is pretty good. You can also use some call-by call operators.
Glad I changed from T-com (loved the way when they used to bill me and then add tax on the call-by-call numbers ).

The OP is in Ingelheim am Rhein - pre-requisite for Alice there is a line from Telekom, which adds €17 to the monthly cost, so things start to get expensive and will take time to setup.

ALL providers add this tax, or include it in their bills. Advertised rates must include it in the first place.

Gonna take longer to get a phone hooked up now...Telekom is on strike.

Problem is that if you want internet it means getting a telephone line and as far as I've heard you can't get internet without a telephone and setting up a telephone means big bucks here. I did that exact thing a couple of years ago and the first phone bill was over 500 euros!!! So unless you got big bucks to spend I'd stick to net cafes or borrow friends. We also got stuck with the 3 month penatly, so in order to get a phone only for 4 months means ordering it and canceling it almost at the same time.

If you're leaving in August, DSL is not worth the hassle. Do the call by call internet. There is actually a program you can get (YL6 mentioned it once in a thread - maybe he can remember the name) which handles the dialing for you, and picks the cheapest depending on the time of the day.

check to see if you can 'share' someone else's connection in the building.

I don't need to remember it - just need to inspect the tattoo on my left arm. It's called "Smartsurfer" download from here. I do think it's worth the hassle of DSL, however. Add DSL to the existing line for €100 sign-up and from €16.99 a month, then take a call-by-call DSL provider such as JustDSL that don't commit you to long term use.

Still, 100 euros and 16.37 a month + DSL fee for 3 months? I'm addicted to the internet as much as anyone, but for that period I'd just use dial up.

For the €100 you also get a subsidised modem/router/VoIP/WLAN box for €30 on top. Reckon on an average of 1cent/minute to use internet-by-call over telephone lines (and it'll block your line from calls) so use the internet for 3 hours a day and you'll pay €54 a month for sloooooooooooooooow internet. Over 3 months the comparisons are:

DSL-Based
Internet setup and router: €130
Usage for 3 months: 3 x (€16.99+€3) = €59.97 (assumes unlimited time on internet with 3Gb cap)
Expect €30-50 to re-sell the router
Total approx €150 +/- €10 depending on router re-sale

Dial-up based:
3 x €54 = €162

It's a close call, but you do get faster access, no blocked phone line and you can use VoIP or Skype for cheap or free calls back home. if you do use more than 3 hours a day on the net (does anyone use less?) then DSL definitely wins.

AH!!! I'm confused! Where's this €100 coming from? I had just called Deustche Telekom on last Friday, and they told me (well, my supervisor who was calling for because the customer rep didn't speak English) the one-time activation fee is €59.91, and the monthly fee is €19.95. Now I've also called Alice and Litdl and asked about their DSL flat rates, which is in the range of €20-€30 a month, plus an one time fee of €10 or €20. Am I missing anything? I am seriously addicted to internet, and would really prefer DSL over a call by call. I can live with €50 or so a month (I am a poor student after all), but if it's going to be a whole lot more, guess I'd have to reevaluate my options again.

When you are taking DSL on short term (less than 12 months) you have to pay a one time activation fee of 100 EUR. Normally this is waived for a long term contract (12 months with T-Com and 24 months with 1&1, Freenet etc) by the provider. The two options (which I am aware of) where you don't have a long contract and don't have to pay 100 EUR is with Lidl-DSL and Alice.

There is no way you can get DSL and "telephone line" from T-Com for 19.95/month. The minimum you end up paying will be 34.95/month for a 2Mbps DSL line and basic phone connection.

That's the phone only. No DSL (which adds another €100 connection and additional monthly cost). You only need this if you go with Lidl or Alice, but beware you may need to wait an additional 4-6 weeks before they connect you up with DSL and Internet, after the phone connection is completed.

the 19.95 per month is just for the telephone line, and doesn't include DSL. do i need to get DSL on the phone line first in order to get internet with Lidl-DSL or Alice? Sorry, I've got no clue when it comes to electronics / technology stuff

The best would be to start with phone connection. Once you have telephone line active, you can decide on DSL/Call-by-Call. The activation fee will be 59.90 and monthly charges of 19.95 (for Call Time 120/T-Net, 120 minutes included per month for calls to fixed lines within Germany) or 16.37(Call Plus/T-Net, basic phone connection).

Thanks for the clarification!

i just got a letter (or is it a bill? need some to translate for me) from Deutsche Telekom charging me for 99.,95 EUR for Bereistellung von T-DSL 20000 am T-Net. I thought you guys said with Lidl-DSL, I don't have to pay for the 100 EUR? When I called Lidl, they didn't mention anything about that cost, but that guy was really nice and helpful. He did say something about Deutsche Telekom sometimes making a mistake and charging for something (which I can't remember what he said). Would this be it? Who should I call to ask about the charge, Lidl or Deutsche Telekom?

If Telekom are providing it then they are going to charge it. If Lidl say you don't pay it then they may be going to credit you back with the charge. Ask Lidl.

Deutsche Telekom have incorrectly charged you. You should call Lidl/Carpo to sort this out. Most likely, they will adjust it in your next bill.

Michiwichi, sorry if I am repeating myself.

Did you sort things out with T-com about the 99,something fee they are trying to charge you? I am thinking of getting lidl dsl as well, but if i do have to pay a hundred to the telekom, than it is just too expensive.

Hi there,
I have got a problem:
Just moved to a new place, small town and currently living in a sort of temporary company owned accommodation. I intend to move out within the next 6 months.
Now I would like to have some sort of private internet access for banking, house hunting etc - but the only way apears to join a 2 year minimum contract.

When I moved house last year I - unwillingly - joined a 1 year contract (nowadays they only sell 2 year contracts!) with Deutsche Telekom which I had to cancel after 6 months because I moved out and am still paying for a service which I can't use. Deutsche Telekom were very unhelpful and rude so I want to avoid them if ever possible.

Have others ever come accross this problem? Any ways around it?

There is a telephone in the flat (company flat) with a very old-fashioned socket, can't plug my laptop in. Housekeeping manager suggests "proper" phone line by Deutsche Telekom...

Any suggestions welcome!

Topics merged by admin

Bad news...

Starting today LIDL will not be offering DSL connections without minimum contract period. They now re-sell the "Call and Surf" packages from T-Com which has a 24 month contract binding.
The new DSL packages from LIDL.

Hi All,

Hopefully you can help me out.

I live in Bonn, and will only be here until March 08. My building has a wireless network, but it is very weak in my apartment.
Im looking into getting my own DSL connection in my apartment, but CANNOT sign a yearly contract.

Are there any companies that offer a DSL connection that can be paid on a monthly basis, and canceled after only 5 months?

Thanks, Id appreciate some help... (im typing this message while sitting on the floor next to my landlady's door to get signal )

T

Topics merged by admin

I believe I have read here on TT that Alice DSL has no Mindestvertragslaufzeit, so you can cancel it at any point. http://www.alice-dsl.de/

Yup with are with alice. No minimum period of time and one months notice required to cancel.

What kind of service do you have? Flaterate? DSL and Phone? etc..

Flatrate, ummm fast lol. A plan that includes phone too. Flatrate calls to german landlines. Only took them a week to get us connected too.

That sounds amazing. I will give them a call tomorrow. From what I read around the site, they seem to be the most popular choice.
I wonder if they connect in Bonn...

Alice offer a no contract DSL, you just need to give 4 weeks notice to cancel it. It's one of the best deals price wise too, but I have heard it can take a while to install sometimes, like 6 weeks. My install was 10 days though, but as I said, I think it varies.

Does you (or anybody) know if Alice provides service in Bonn. I dont read/speak German, so I find it difficult to browse their site for info...

Just signed up with Alice... they were talking a good game on the phone, said that I would be hooked up in the next 2-3 weeks... get my contract by email today..Connection Date: Mid-November. Thats 6 weeks! What's up with that? Why does it take such a long time?

Sound's about right. They have to negotiate the line from Telekom, and Telekom don't give them up easily. There's warnings all over Toytown

YorkshireLad6,
You explained something about Internet connection by JustDSL. May I ask you something?
Do you have any idea whether JustDSL is available in Bonn too?

How long roughly do we require for new telephone line from Telekom to be up if we get a new subscription from T-Com?
Am I right to say that we have to get T-DSL telephone line from Telekom?
http://eki-pi.t-home.de/preisuebersicht/call_plus.html

Thanks.

You need a phone line and DSL from Deutsche Telekom. Note that only Call-Plus connections include the benefit of a minimum 1 month contract, thereafter 6 days cancellation. All other connections tie you for a year or more. Beware you are not oversold a Call&Surf connection which includes internet access and a minimum 24 month contract. It should take 3-5 days to setup, maybe longer if your building is new, or the previous occupant was not a Telekom customer. If you have the previous occupants name or number the application is easier and the connection is quicker. JustDSL packages will work with ANY Telekom DSL line, anywhere in Germany

Danke YSL,

I am just wondering does Telekom offer any other types of telephone line other than DSL?
If the landlord says that the apt has already had the telephone line installed, how can I be sure that it is actually a DSL line?

Do we need to purchase a modem when we subscribe with JustDSL?

And, have you heard about internet from congstar before (http://www.congstar.de)?
How good is it if compared to JustDSL (From my current understanding, we can get the connection up quite instantly if we go for JustDSL, in 2 min time? How about congstar? Is it almost the same too?)

YSL (and anybody else who can help):

I'm trying to get an understanding of how complicated this whole mess can be. I'm moving into an apt on 1st Nov and need a DSL pronto, so I'm putting down what I've learnt so far to get a quick connection:

1. Get a DT phoneline. Cheapest option looks like this: http://eki-pi.t-home.de/preisuebersicht/call_plus.html, huh? Thats 59.95 provision + 16.xx per month.

2. Is the 16.xx only the charge for the basic phone? So it becomes about 32 with DSL? And that's just for a DSL enabled line, not really to connect to the internet, for which we need an ISP, right? Getting a DSL line is the 100 euro one-time setup fee, right?

3. Then there are two options: go for something like JustDSL (the ISP), which is almost instantaneous and charges a tariff over and above DT.

4. The other option is to go with Alice, which might take longer, coz they have to get a line from DT. BUT, do you still get charged the 100 one-time setup fee? This point I'm not clear about from the previous posts. So, with Alice, the line is owned by Alice and the ISP is also Alice?

5. And not to forget, there is the cost of DSL modem and setup. Jeez.

@shigehiro:
Telekom offers many types of Telephone line, but nothing "other than DSL" as DSL is an add-on option to a telephone (or I didn't understand your question)
You will need a DSL Modem or modem/router to use ANY DSL connection
You can't be sure the landlord has a DSL line. You will need to ask him. Most (but not all) telephone lines can have DSL added as an option.
Congstar is fine, but they send you the connection details by mail about a week after you sign up.

@zehawk:
If you don't understand it don't do it, it'll go wrong. Find someone who can.
You need to ADD DSL to a phone line (from Telekom from around €17/month for their slowest 1Mbit speed). They'll charge you an additional one-time €100 to set that up
Then you'll need an ISP.
OR you can buy a package, such as Call&Surf costing €34/month for Phone+DSL+ISP and only the €60 startup charge.
Alice is a full service provider - phone+DSL+ISP, and will take longer to setup.
Modem on top - most providers have special deals at sign-up.

To answer zehawk's Q4 and 5: With Alice (or other full-service providers), you don't pay the €100 Telekom setup fee. You may have to pay your provider a fee - Alice list this as €59,95 but then have a continuous "special offer" that the fee will be waived for all new connections until a set date (currently 31.12.07). Once that date is reached, a new date is set (or at least, up until now this has been the case).

Most providers will provide some sort of DSL modem as part of a package - with Alice you have to pay a postage fee of €9,95 for a very basic modem (which to be fair is perfectly good if all you want to do is connect one computer to the internet). With 1&1 and others there's all sorts of options for getting a pretty decent WLAN/VOIP router (e.g. a Fritz!Box 7170) at a low cost (but you are in a 2 year contract so they can afford to be a bit more generous with the "freebies"!). Otherwise, you can pick up a good all-in-one box (e.g. a Fritz!Box 7050) for around €40 on ebay.

Thanks YorkshireLad6 for reply & your explanation, sorry if I seem to ask a lot of questions, but here are just a couple of quick questions to get a correct understanding..
1) So, shall I say that Call-Plus only provides normal telephone line (with the lowest subs fee per month = 16,37 EUR)?

2) On top of this telephone line, we need to add DSL to a phone line
---> where and how can we request a DSL line addition to our normal phone line? In T-Punkt? or through online?
(I surfed the Deutsche Telekom website, but it seems like I couldn't find any info on this).

3) Then, JustDSL (or other ISPs) to get the internet connection package.

So I've been doing a bit of research on Congstar. Spoke to them as well. Here's the deal:

Get a "normal", analog telephone line from DT. Cheapest option should do.

Apply to Congstar. They claim that they will take about 8-10 days for setting it up. I asked them if this was guaranteed, or best-effort. Said: best-effort.

Costs 50 euros setup + 15 euros a month for the 2 Mbps link. And the HW costs extra. 20 euros for me since I will take just the basic box and I have my own WLAN router etc.

And I've just learnt that the DT package, Surf and Call actually allows for cancellation under "important conditions". They dont define what these important conditions are but I have it from one source that DT allows a special right to cancel when moving abroad or moving to an area with no DSL
connection. The Surf n Call gives 120 min free to German landlines.

Does anybody know anything about this? Coz if this clause is there, that makes life much simpler. The lines are owned by DT, hence it makes sense to do with DT, and the cost to go with DT is pretty much the same as with going with Congstar.

ALice is of course cheaper (26.90 euros), but they potentially (from what I've read here) take a long time to give a connection... so thats one reason not to go with Alice.

Go to Teltarif.de and run it through google translation for english. All possible information is available there (except info about the special clause I found about DT Surf and Call). Beautiful beautiful website...

zehawk,

you did a lot of homeworks (*kidding*).. =)
if DT really allows subscriber to cancel the connection in certain impt condition, then DT is a good choice.

Congstar is not a bad choice too, but we have to wait a little bit since the activation time is around 8-9 days (or probably, 2 weeks) ya.

I found out the link for T-DSL 2000 from Telekom website
here

hope it is helpful for those who need it.

May I then confirm that there is no min. contract required for this T-DSL 2000 connection?