Berlin eSIM
In Berlin you connect to Telekom or Vodafone, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 63 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Telekom and Vodafone
- Typical speed in Germany
- 63 Mbps typical, 15 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Berlin
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $14.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $0.94 | $46.89 |
How Germany compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Telekom, Vodafone
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Czechia, 64 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Andorra, 61 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne
Landing at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (BER)
- Airport
- BER / EDDB
- Distance
- 18 km from the centre of Berlin
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalThe network is '_BER Airport Free Airport WiFi'. Berlin.de states that no registration and no password are required, only agreement to the terms of use, and that it runs around the clock.
Getting into Berlin
- Airport Express FEX to Berlin Hauptbahnhof via Sudkreuz and Potsdamer Platz (BER), about 22 minutes. Runs through tunnels, where a signal drops
- S-Bahn lines S9 and S45 from BER Airport station (BER). Runs through tunnels, where a signal drops
- Regional trains RE 2, RE 20, RB 22, RB 24 and RB 32, plus IC 17 every two hours (BER). Runs through tunnels, where a signal drops
Underground and on the metro
Berlin U-Bahn runs 9 lines. It opened in 1902. The operator states mobile coverage throughout the tunnels.
Worth knowing about Berlin
- On 6 May 2024 O2 Telefonica, Telekom and Vodafone finished a five year project that put 4G across all nine U-Bahn lines and 175 stations, laying over 1,000 km of fibre.
- The same project installed 360 tunnel antennas, 350 repeaters and 30 base stations, working in three hour windows at night. 5G starts at Alexanderplatz on 3.6 GHz.
- BER station lies in a 3.1 km tunnel under Terminal 1, has three island platforms and six tracks, and is open 24 hours a day.
- BER opened for commercial traffic on 31 October 2020, nine years after its planned October 2011 opening and 29 years after planning began.
- Tegel closed in 2020 and Tempelhof in 2008, so a city that once had three airports now has one, with Terminal 2 added on 24 March 2022.
- Every U-Bahn station has BVG's free Wi-Fi. Pick the network BVG-WiFi, open any website and accept the terms on the page that appears. No registration is needed, and the phone reconnects on its own in any BVG Wi-Fi zone afterwards.
- Berlin counts more than 2,000 public hotspots at sights such as the Brandenburg Gate, the TV tower and Spandau citadel, and in town halls, museums and libraries. The hotspots are signposted and ask for no sensitive personal data.
- The volunteer Freifunk network, which the city supports, runs more than 1,000 open hotspots in Berlin, including at the Technical Museum and on Museum Island. Deutsche Bahn also offers free internet at most of its Berlin stations.
- Berlin fares use three zones: A inside the S-Bahn ring, B out to the city limits, and C covering about 15 km beyond, including Potsdam and BER. BVG says a trip from the airport to the centre needs an ABC ticket.
- One ticket covers the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams, buses and even ferries within its zones. Paper tickets must be stamped at the yellow or red validators before travel, and app tickets must be activated before the journey begins.
- The U-Bahn runs all night at weekends. On weeknights night buses marked with an N replace the trains once the U-Bahn closes.
- BVG's Jelbi app puts public transport tickets and sharing services such as bikes, scooters, mopeds and cars under one BVG account. Sharing rides need a one off check of documents such as a driving licence.
- Hotels add Berlin's overnight tax to the bill. From 1 January 2025 the rate rose to 7.5 percent and the old exemption for stays over 21 days ended, and business stays have been taxed since 1 April 2024.