Germany Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 49.

Roaming agreements exist with many international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good. It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile telephone while driving.

Internet is readily available; there are many Internet cafes all over the country. Large Internet access centres exist in most main cities. Most hotels also provide facilities, either included in the room rate or charged separately.

Stamps are available from hotels, slot machines and post offices.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1200. Smaller branches may close for lunch.

Germany's competitive TV market is the largest in Europe. Each of the country's 16 regions regulates its own private and public broadcasting, and operates public TV and radio services. Around 90% of German households have cable or satellite TV. Germany is home to some of the world's largest media conglomerates, such as Bertelsmann.

• The most influential dailies include Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
• The most widely read of the weekly publications are Der Spiegel and Die Zeit.
• Some new or revamped newspapers, such as Berliner Kurier, have emerged out of eastern Germany and are competing well with western German papers.
• Most major English-language newspapers and international magazines are also available in large cities.

• Premiere is a pay-TV operator.
• ARD and ZDF operate the public national TV channels.
• RTL operates entertainment channels.
• Deutsche Welle TV is the international TV service, and operates in English and Spanish, as well as German.
• Arte is the primary cultural channel.

• Deutsche Welle TV broadcasts radio in many languages.
• Deutschlandradio operates national public radio stations, Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandradio Kultur (broadcasting news/current affairs and cultural programmes).
• ARD is an umbrella organisation of many public radio services, including regional stations.