Uncover the reasons behind the slow internet in Germany and your legal right to reduce internet costs. Learn the internet infrastructure and broadband issues in Germany and practical tips to fix slow internet yourself. Know how to address slow internet issues in Germany and the steps you can take for reliable internet.
Key takeaway
You have a legal right to fast internet.
You can reduce the internet subscription price if the real internet speed is slower than the promised.
The German government is actively investing and modifying laws to improve the internet infrastructure.
This is how you do it
Check your internet speed on the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) website. Submit the complaint on the BNetzA website if it's slower than promised.
You can also get support from the consumer advice center.
For quick results, hire a lawyer. Legal protection insurance comes in handy in such situations. It covers all your legal and lawyer costs.
Ensure that the slow internet speed problem is not at your end. You can improve the internet connectivity and speed by upgrading your software and hardware.
Table of contents
How do you find out if your internet is too slow?
A difference between advertised and actual internet speed is common in Germany. So, if you think your internet is slower than advertised, you must test the internet speed to confirm.
You can test the speed on the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) website. It's the official website of German Telecommunication.
The internet speed results of this website act as official proof. You can use them when communicating with your internet service provider and arbitration meetings.
What steps can you take if your internet is slow?
You must not tolerate slow internet access. You have a legal right to high-speed internet in Germany.
You can take the following steps to resolve the problem.
Check if the slow internet problem is at your end.
Measure the internet speed on the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) website.
Send a written request to your internet provider to resolve the issue within a set deadline (14 days).
Take help from the Federal Network Agency, Consumer Advice Center, or a lawyer if your internet provider doesn't resolve the issue.
Let's dive deep into each step.
Step 1: Check if the slow internet problem is at your end.
You should ensure that the slow internet issue is not at your end. These are the common problems that lead to slow internet connectivity.
The old version of the Operating System is installed on your computer.
Your antivirus or downloads in the background clog the broadband speed.
You have a defective or old router.
You are trying to access the WiFi far from the router. Hence, the WiFi signal is weak.
Too many devices are connected to the same WiFi.
Step 2: Measure the internet speed on the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) website.
The Federal Network Agency has set some guidelines to measure internet speed. If you don't follow those guidelines, your results will be invalid.
Here are the guidelines.
Install the desktop app from the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA)Â on your computer.
You must connect your computer to the router via a LAN cable.
Check your internet plan name. You can find it in your internet contract. BNetzA fetches the promised internet speeds automatically when you enter the internet provider's name and their tariff.
You must measure your internet speed 30 times within 14 days.
The measuring software guides you through the whole internet speed measurement process. Once you finish the measurement process, a signed PDF report is generated. The report shows whether the contractually agreed internet service is delivered or not.Â
The BNetzA considers your internet speed is not per the contract if it meets at least one of the following criteria.
Your internet speed doesn't reach 90% of the contractually agreed maximum speed on at least two measurement days.
The normally available speed is not achieved in 90% of the measurements.
Your internet connection doesn't exceed the contractually agreed minimum speed on at least two measurement days.
BNetzA applies the above criteria to both download and upload speed.Â
Step 3: Send a written request to your internet provider to resolve the issue
Once you have the report from the BNetzA, you should give the internet service provider a chance to fix the issue.
You should first send a written request to your internet provider. We recommend sending the request via registered post. But you can also send it via email.
Here are the two things you should put in the letter.
A deadline of 14 days for your internet company to fix the issue.
The BNetzA report (attach it to the letter)
If the internet provider fixes the issue, great. If the issue is not resolved, move to the next step.
Step 4: Take help from the Federal Network Agency, Consumer Advice Center, or a lawyer
Federal Network Agency
The two common problems customers face in Germany are slow internet and changing internet providers. If your internet service provider is not resolving the issue, you can request support from BNetzA.
You file an official complaint on BNetzA's website. Based on your problem, you'll be guided to the correct online form.
For slow internet issues, select the "Internetgeschwindigkeit" option. Complete the online form and provide the necessary information.
NOTE: Unfortunately, the whole process can take several months. So, you must be patient.
You should also continue paying the complete internet subscription fee. Your internet provider can stop your internet if your arrears exceed 100 €.
Another option is to go to the consumer advice center for help.
Consumer Advice Center
Benefits of going to the consumer advice center for help.
The consumer advice center asks your internet provider in writing to resolve the internet problem. As the letter is from the consumer advice center, it carries more weight than yours.
The consumer advice center mentions the following in the letter.
The appropriate internet cost reduction.
Notice period to terminate the contract.
Consumer advice centers have direct contact with the internet provider. It helps accelerate the process of resolving the issue.
Consumer advice centers also work with lawyers if things escalate.
The best part is market watchdogs have access to every case with the consumer advice center. Hence, several complaints against the same internet provider can show a pattern that leads to negative publicity. Negative publicity harms the public image of the internet provider. Hence, this puts pressure on the provider to resolve the issue quickly.
You can file the complaint online on the consumer advice center's website.
If you are concerned about the principle, hire a lawyer
Hiring a lawyer is the fastest way to resolve the issue, especially if you have legal protection insurance.
Legal insurance covers the lawyer and legal costs. So you don't have to worry about paying high legal and lawyer costs out of pocket.
Quick hacks to resolve slow internet problems yourself
Restart the router -Â As dumb as it may sound, restarting the router and your computer is the first hack to improve your internet speed. Turn off the router. Wait for a minute, and then switch it on.Â
Check WiFi signal strength - You should connect your computer to the router via a LAN cable to check if the internet speed improves. If it does, then the source of your problem is the poor WiFi signal strength. Either sit near the router or get yourself a new router* to fix the problem. You can also use WiFi repeaters* to increase the WiFi range. You can also get a new router from your internet provider.
Update your software - Run an operating system update, update your internet browser, and delete the cookies. You should also disable antivirus and automatic software updates. Check if the internet speed improves.
Do you need a new computer? - Technology is changing faster than we buy new devices. Thus, if your computer is older than 3 years, you should check the internet speed on another device. It can be your mobile phone or your friend's laptop. You need a new computer if the download speed is better on other devices.
Contact the internet service provider's customer service - Many times, customer service resolves the internet speed issue at their end within a few minutes. So, it's worth waiting in the customer service hotline queue to resolve the problem.
Visit from the technician - Sometimes, customer service identifies an issue that needs to be resolved by a technician onsite. For example, the cable or phone lines are outdated. In such scenarios, the internet provider sends a technician to fix the issue. It may take a week or two to make an appointment with the technician. But it's better than waiting months for the consumer advice center or BNetzA to resolve the issue.
Change the internet provider - Another option is to change the internet service provider if you continue facing a slow internet issue. However, changing the internet provider won't do any good if the problem is in the internet connection (cable, DSL).Â
Change the internet connection - You should change your internet connection if the problem persists. Move from DSL to cable or the other way around to fix the slow internet. You can learn more about the differences between DSL and Cable internet connection here.
Why is the internet slow in Germany?
The main reason for the slow internet in Germany is the poor internet infrastructure.
Only 9.2% of households in Germany [1] get internet via fibre-optic cables. On the other hand, 88% of households in South Korea have internet connections via fibre-optic cables.Â
Fibre-optic cables make it possible to get faster internet (1000 Mbit/s). In Germany, the majority of households still get internet via telephone lines (DSL).Â
Depending on when the telephone line was installed, your average internet speed can be limited to 10 Mbit/s only. The maximum internet speed you can achieve via DSL is 250 Mbit/s.
But the internet speed has improved a lot since 2020. 91% of households in Germany [1] have access to fast internet (more than 100 Mbit/s average download speed).Â
This is thanks to the expansion of cable lines and the update of telephone lines (DSL). The fiber optic infrastructure is also growing, but the growth rate is too slow.
Vodafone has the largest cable network. It has also installed new cable lines to offer high-speed internet to more customers.Â
You can achieve an average speed of 1000 Mbit/s on cable network.
What is the German government doing to improve the internet speed in Germany?
Telecommunication Act 2021
The German government amended the Telecommunications Act 2021. It's a step to push internet providers to improve the broadband infrastructure.Â
As per the law, everyone in Germany has a right to fast internet. The fast internet means a download speed of at least 10 Mbit/s and an upload speed of 1.7 Mbit/s.
The areas that have poor internet access benefit the most from this law. It has also pushed the upgradation of infrastructure in many rural areas of Germany.
Moreover, you can request support from the Federal Network Agency if the internet provider doesn't offer the minimum internet speed defined in the law.Â
Federal Gigabit Directive 2.0
On April 3, 2023, the German federal government published the Federal Gigabit Guideline 2.0 (Gigabit-RL 2.0). The purpose of the guideline is to fund the expansion and upgrade of Germany's internet infrastructure.Â
Gigabit RL 2.0 is the continuation of the "Gigabit Guideline in the Gray Spot" funding program. It includes the following regions.
Regions that don't have a Next Generation Access network (NGA network) (white spot).
Or regions that have an NGA network but don't offer reliable internet with minimum internet speed. The minimum internet speed defined in Gigabit RL 2.0 is 200 Mbit/s symmetrical or 500 Mbit /s download.
The guidelines not only classify the regions that must upgrade their internet network but also provide funds to do so.
Investing in upgrading the Internet infrastructure
Since 2016, 3,494 funding projects [2] have been launched to improve Germany's digital infrastructure. The state and the federal government supported the projects by funding around 2.46 billion euros and 2.78 billion euros, respectively.Â
So, the German government has invested around 5.24 billion euros until 2023 to improve the internet infrastructure. And it's continuing to invest 661.5 million euros in 2023/24 broadband funding.
New digitalisation strategy
Germany's digital infrastructure ministry presented the new digitalization strategy. As per the strategy, the German government wants to achieve the following by 2025:
Half of all households and businesses have fiber optic connections.
Continue advocating the internet as a free, democratizing space with a global, digital order based on human rights.Â
The German government has taken several steps since 2021 to improve the broadband internet network. And is continuing to invest in digitalization endeavors.