Public Telephones

Most of the public phone booths are operated by the Deutsche Telekom.  You can use cash to pay but more convenient for payment are telephone cards which you can obtain at the ‘T-Punkt’(Deutsche Telekom Shop) and at the post office.  Other public telephones are located in Internet cafes where international calling rates are often cheaper.

Calling cards (using the 0800 prefix and PIN) are accepted at most telephone booths and offer a cheap alternative for calls abroad.  
Be sure to inform yourself in advance about the exact rates, conditions and validity among the different calling card providers.  Further information can be found at: www.teltarif.de/callthrough/html.  At Ulm University calling cards can beused on all phones displaying the blue ‘0-800’ label.  A list of where these phones are located can be found under: http://kiz.uni-ulm.de/staff/klenk/0800.

Mobile Phones (Called „Handy“ in Germany)

Since most Germans possess a mobile phone, public pay-phones have become increasingly rare. The mobile phone network operators in Germany are T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus and O2. These operators have their own shops (T-Mobile is the mobile branch of the Deutsche Telekom, you find them in the „T-Punkt“ stores), where you will find further information. Additionally, you can look up rates and rate comparisons (also from discounters) on www.handytarife.de/anbieter (only in German!). There are huge differences in prices, rates, services and monthly charges, but generally speaking you can distinguish between:

• Pre-Paid: no contract, no minimum running time
• Contracts: Duration of 2 years (cannot be cancelled ahead of time!), with monthly costs, but you will receive an inexpensive modern mobile phone

Private Landline

As calling costs via mobile phone or public telephones are quite expensive, it is recommended to have a private landline installed if the duration of phone use is to be for a longer time period.  In Germany there are currently many options.  The standard way is to go with the Deutsche Telekom or ‘T-Punkt’.  When moving into a new apartment it is recommended to assume responsibility of the existing telephone line of the previous tenant, as connection costs for a new line are significantly higher. 

Once you have established a telephone connection with the Deutsche Telekom, it is possible for you to take advantage of cheaper telephone rates through other contractors by dialling a prefix prior to each call.  A list of the current rates from various contractors can be found at: www.teltarif.de or www.billiger-telefonieren.de.  The costs for these calls through the contractors will be automatically included in your telephone bill.
Another alternative is to use a mobile network operator or TV/cable provider.

Telephone Directories

• Telephone directories are available online at www.teleauskunft.de
• Through this website you can access the local telephone book (“Das Örtliche”), the national phone directory (“Das Telefonbuch”) and the commercial directories (“Gelbe Seiten”, yellow pages).
• National directory assistance by Deutsche Telekom: + 49 11833 (in German) or +49 11837 (in English) (of course, there are also a lot of other providers), costs: minimum 1,99 €.

Please note: all service numbers starting with 0800 can be dialled free of charge. Numbers starting with 0900 are usually high-priced.