Keeping in Touch in Munich

Staying in line with Munich's reputation as a high-tech city, communication infrastructures are of the highest quality and feature some of the most efficient technologies in the world. Whether expats need to keep in touch with family and friends back home or cultivate connections in their new locale, they won’t have any problems in Munich.

Telecommunications in Munich

Telecommunications is one of Munich's core industries, thus expats can expect extraordinary service from any of the many service providers operating in the city. That being said, there are a few key mobile service providers at the forefront of the industry that offer world-class service: 

• T-Mobile – Owned by Deutsche Telekom. It is the largest operator in Germany, and the world's seventh largest mobile service provider, with over 150 million global subscribers.
• Vodafone D2 – Owned by UK's Vodafone Plc. With over 36 million subscribers it is the second largest provider in Germany.
• E-Plus – Germany's third largest mobile network, with 19 million subscribers. It markets its name under brands such as BASE, VIVA and blau.de.
• O2 – Subsidiary of Telefónica Europe. It has approximately 55 million subscribers in various parts of Europe.

All of the above service providers offer both contract and prepaid packages, but prepaid seems to be the most popular amongst expats, especially those that are still settling in.

One advantage of choosing a prepaid package over a contract, apart from being able to monitor your usage, is that many include international-call perks, which means that expats can keep in touch with their loved ones for cheaper. Usual top-up credit costs 15 Euros and upwards.

Internet in Munich

Web surfers are in for a treat in Munich. Although most prefer to access the Internet from home, many still enjoy the novelty of being able to order a double espresso while clicking away at their laptop, which is why almost all coffee shops and restaurants offer free wireless access for their customers. Those who favour the more productive, quiet atmosphere of an Internet café can expect to pay around 4 Euros per hour. 

Expats looking to sign an Internet contract will also be pleased to know that many apartments include a wireless connection, with the cost worked into monthly rental fees. However, not all apartments offer this package and it may be necessary to seek a service provider. While it may be difficult to choose a host, rest assured that all of them offer similar services at competitive prices, with the ideal package costing around 30 Euros per month for fast, unlimited access.

Most of the afore-mentioned mobile networks offer Internet packages, while Kabel Deutschland is the largest cable operator in Germany and also offers about 30 analogue TV channels, as well as a variety of radio channels.