Market share of network providers in mobile connections in Germany 1998-2020

Currently, the major mobile phone connection providers in Germany are Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica O2, the latter having bought E-Plus in 2014. In 2019, Vodafone had the highest market share among mobile network providers in Germany at 36.2 percent, though the other two companies were not far behind.

Market leader

The Vodafone Group is based in England, with Vodafone Germany being its subsidiary. In Germany, the company generated 10.7 billion euros in revenues in the 2019/2020 fiscal year. Based on the most recent data, Vodafone provided 50.7 million mobile connections in Germany, an increase on previous years. The numbers show the number of active Vodafone SIM cards in circulation, with both prepaid and post-paid contracts included. The company also provided DSL connection for its customers, though numbers have been decreasing in recent years. Vodafone was among the German telecommunications providers participating in the 5G auction of 2019, paying 1.88 billion euros.

Mobile mood

The number of mobile phone connections in Germany has grown explosively since the 1990s. And even higher increase occurred after 2015. Most recently the number amounted to over 140 million. 74 percent of the German population used mobile internet in 2019. However, Germany still has some catching up to do in terms of mobile internet speed, both on a European and global level.