Telephone and internet

First of all, ask your landlord or building superintendent about the type of phone connection installed in your apartment. It may be necessary to have the appropriate phone and internet connection switched on. The total monthly flat-rate charge for phone and (wireless) internet connection ranges from €45 to €55. We advise you to check with your landlord on these costs, too, and to ask your departmental contact about the best solution for your personal requirements. Your colleagues will help you register with JLU's Computing Center (Hochschulrechenzentrum) to open an account providing you with online access from all of the University's computer terminals (in your office and in the various libraries and the Computing Center itself).

Mobile phone

It is generally pretty expensive to make calls within Germany if you have a foreign contract, or to use a German mobile phone to make and receive calls to places abroad. Check with your provider about the rates charged while you are in Germany, and see if you can get cheaper rates. You will find that all of the usual leading mobile phone operators have a Giessen branch.

Postal services

A standard letter within Germany costs 55 Eurocents, a postcard 45 Cents. The internet pages of the German Postal Service provide current information on all letter-rate charges, inland and international.

The cost of sending a package abroad depends, of course, on the weight and destination. Freight charges for registered packages between 5 and 20 kilograms range from €17 to €82, depending on the destination. Check out costs via the DHL website. Giessen's Main Post Office is situated just down the street from the main train station (Bahnhofstr. 82–86), and there is a branch office downtown (Neuen Bäue 2, between Berliner Platz and Marktplatz).