Since 2007, the major telecommunication providers have offered some sort of flat-rate for international calls. Customers subscribing to Deutsche Telekom's services have access to two different flat-rates. The "CountryFlat" is 3.95 euros per month and allows you to call landlines in 25 different countries at no additional cost (Great Britain, USA, Australia and most other European countries are included). The "CountryFlat II" is 14.95 euros per month and includes Turkey, Russia, eastern Europe, China, Japan, etc. If you plan on calling home a lot, having an international flat-rate is probably a good idea. It all of course depends on where you are calling and how often you call. Once again, the other telecommunication providers have similar flat-rates on offer, at slightly better rates.

If you want to use your cell phone to make international calls, another option is to sign up with a prepaid discounter. There are several companies which offer low rates for international calls to and from Germany. To use these services, however, your cell phone cannot have a SIM card lock. If you have had your phone for over two years, the SIM lock can be removed free of charge. If you have had your phone less than two years, you must ask your current provider about the cost of removing the SIM lock. One provider that offers low international rates is Ortel Mobile. For more information, check out their website at www.ortelmobile.de

After you’ve received your phone, you’ll get a telephone directory and yellow pages with lots of useful information in the front pages. They include maps, a list of toll-free numbers and postal codes. Toll-free calls (or freecalls) begin with the prefix 0800. Watch out for those that start with 0180 or 0900: these are toll calls with prices set by the operator of the line. Toll rates can vary from 2 cents a minute to 6 cents every two seconds and many phone services that are free in other countries are not free in Germany. When you call your airline to book a flight, you’ll pay a toll call. When you call your Internet service provider for help, you’ll get the privilege of paying.

In Germany, there are many scams regarding special-toll lines beginning with the prefix 0900, and legislation was enacted to improve consumer rights. There have been numerous media reports of parents getting 2,000-euro monthly telephone bills because their children called 0900 sex lines. It might be wise to ask the Telekom to block access to these numbers (one-time fee of 8 euros). For the sake of your own telephone safety (and wallet), be very careful with any telephone number beginning with 0900.

A funny advertisement once summed up the mobile phone landscape in Germany. Two men stood behind stacks and stacks of paper on a desk. One looked at the other and said, “So, you want to choose a cell-phone provider?” They began shuffling the hundreds of pages and throwing them over their heads behind them. The other replied, “Fine. Read all this.” The moral of the story is this: shop and inform yourself, but don’t overdo it.

One of the best ways to begin getting an overview is to go to a telecommunications shop that offers more than one service provider. These are stand-alone shops in retail areas or shops inside other shops. For instance, big electronics stores will have a booth inside where you can order phone services from several providers.

Beware of offers which entice you to sign a contract with a snazzy new phone for 1 euro. The providers will envitably recoup the handset price through higher monthly fees, higher prices per minute and a two year contract.

If you are willing to do without a subsidized cell phone, you can also purchase a pre-paid card either from one of the providers or from a so-called discounter (supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl, or through the Internet www.simyo.de or www.callmobile.de). The latter offer rock-bottom prices such as 13 cents a minute calls. This is often the fastest and cheapest way to get mobile phone service in Germany.

Phone types include GSM, GPRS, WAP-enabled and the next-generation UMTS and EDGE cell phones. This alphabet soup describes what you can do with each phone. For basic voice calls, a few games and short text messages, a GSM phone will suffice. For more advanced services, use GPRS or WAP. At the top of the price range and specifically designed to surf the Web, the first generations of UMTS and EDGE allow for speedier data downloads and enable streaming video and fancy graphics on mobile handsets.

SMS, or Short Message Service, is all the rage with youngsters. If you see teens on buses and trains busily typing into their cell phones, they’re probably chatting with friends. As a newcomer to Germany, SMS may be new to you. Read the instruction manual on your handset or simply give it a try. Your number pad on the phone works as a letter keyboard. Just tap the number several times to reach a certain letter. Then move on to the next. When you have finished, type in the telephone number of the person you want to send your message to – and off it goes.

Sending an SMS can be less obtrusive than calling. And, if you’re traveling on a train, for instance, an SMS is a good way to transmit your arrival time. Sometimes a regular call will get cut off while you’re in a tunnel! However, sending an SMS can be more expensive than a brief phone call. An SMS costs about 19 cents per message but can be made less expensive if you book certain rate plans that favor SMSs.

Text messages written on your phone can also be sent to e-mail addresses and fax machines with many mobile providers. Finally, you can get little tidbits of information delivered to your phone by text message. These include news summaries, sports scores, banking information and your daily horoscope.

In your car, you can only use your cell phone if you have a hands-free unit. It is illegal – and dangerous – to drive and talk on a hand-held phone and you will be fined if caught. Things happen quickly on the Autobahn. You’re better off concentrating on the road.

If you are traveling outside Germany often, check with your service provider about roaming charges. Roaming charges vary from country to country, and you can be charged for incoming calls. You can even be charged when you receive messages. A surprise phone bill can spoil the memories of an otherwise nice trip...

Thankfully, the EU recently passed legislation to limit inner EU roaming charges to 43 cents per minute for making a call and 19 cents per minute for receiving one (plus VAT). Sending a SMS costs 11 cents and it's free to receive one.

Obtaining just the right phone and Internet services for your needs, at the right price, may often prove to be somewhat challenging with your typical German telecommunication company. You will find that "foreign language" support and customer service, meaning English, can be a rare and possibly nonexistent commodity. This is where TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern (TKS) steps in as an alternative. TKS has provided service to the US military for over 15 years, specializing in a full range of cost effective and easy-to-use English telephone and Internet solutions. Amenities such as customer care, official correspondence, billing, technical support, and reference guides - all in English - are standard features with TKS. Private individuals as well as relocation firms and human resource offices can contact TKS for a personalized consultation and to request service. Orders can be processed by phone or e-mail. For more information visit the TKS website at www.tkscable.com.