Study: Prices for slower internet tariffs have risen significantly

Berlin – Those who book slower internet plans have to accept increasingly expensive tariffs. This is the result of an analysis by the price comparison portal Verivox, which was reported in the newspapers of the Funke Media Group (Sunday editions). According to the analysis, new DSL customers with low download speeds are now paying around a third more than in March 2023. Surfing with faster bandwidths of up to 500 megabits per second, on the other hand, has become cheaper in a two-year comparison and, according to the analysis, is increasingly even cheaper than slow internet. According to Verivox, the deteriorating price-performance ratio is also causing demand for low bandwidths to decline. According to the data, DSL with 16 megabits per second (Mbit/s) cost new customers an average of €32.10 per month in March 2025. Two years earlier (March 2023), the monthly cost was €24.40. This results in a price difference of 32 percent, or €7.70 per month. Over the minimum contractual term of 24 months, consumers incur additional costs of €185, according to the portal. "Those who surf slowly today often pay more: The lower tariffs are hardly subsidized anymore – and are therefore becoming increasingly unattractive," Jörg Schamberg, telecommunications expert at Verivox, told the Funke newspapers. "This also affects demand: Within two years, the number of 16 Mbps tariffs booked through Verivox has more than halved. Even at 50 Mbps, bookings are declining – but interest in tariffs with 100 and 250 Mbps has increased significantly." The slowest DSL tariffs, at 16 Mbps, are therefore not only more expensive than two years ago, but are also increasingly more expensive than faster, more powerful tariffs. According to Verivox data, DSL with a download speed of 50 Mbps will cost only €23.10 per month in March 2025, while 100 Mbps DSL will cost €28. The monthly price advantage compared to the slower 16-pack (€32.10) is €9 and €4.10, respectively. Verivox therefore recommends that internet users regularly compare prices. The savings potential amounts to several hundred euros over 24 months – and often, you can expect more performance for less money. Verivox has observed significant price reductions, especially in the mid-range tariff range (250 to 500 Mbps download): Since March 2023, both tariff groups and internet technologies have become 20 percent cheaper. DSL has not had a price advantage over cable internet for some time. But now, according to Verivox, DSL is increasingly losing out to fiber optics. Currently, DSL with a 100 Mbit/s download speed costs an average of only 90 cents more per month than a usually faster fiber optic plan (€28 or €28.90 effective). Plans with 250 Mbit/s are even five euros cheaper per month via fiber optic – €29.50 for fiber optic compared to €34.60 for DSL. The EU-wide target for replacing traditional DSL via copper cables (maximum 250 Mbit/s) with fiber optic cables (up to 2,500 Mbit/s) is envisaged. The EU Commission has already set 2030 as the target date for the end of all copper networks. However, a concrete timeline is currently lacking in Germany. By the end of 2024, only 47 percent of households nationwide were supplied with fiber optic cables. If fiber optic cables are available, customers can switch now. Only when a region has 95 percent fiber optic coverage can the network operator submit a shutdown plan. Customers should then have sufficient time to switch. The broadband industry already sees a trend toward fiber optics in the price trend for slower connections. The old copper wire is becoming increasingly obsolete, Sven Kapp of the German Broadband Communications Association (Breko) told the Funke newspapers. "The often-used myth of expensive fiber optic connections is long outdated: Fiber optics is no longer a luxury, but an affordable standard." He called for a political roadmap for the switch from DSL to fiber optics. This is the only way to finally resolve the DSL bottleneck and enable consumers to benefit from fiber optics as quickly as possible.