Aldi Talk has announced a major adjustment to its tariffs. From July 11, customers will not only get more data volume, they will also have access to O2’s 5G network. Due to these extras, the prices of the prepaid packages also increase. TECHBOOK reveals exactly what customers can expect.
As with food pricing, Aldi is also a role model for many providers in the mobile communications sector. If the provider changes its tariffs, others often follow suit. This is why the planned changes are so relevant to the market. Aldi Talk would like to activate 5G in its prepaid tariffs from mid-July. At the same time, he adjusts the data volume and the prices of his three all-network flat rates.
The new 5G tariffs from Aldi Talk
The new prepaid tariffs can be booked from July 11th. With the combination package S, the combination package M and the combination package L, Aldi Talk continues to offer three prepaid options to choose from. In terms of content, however, they differ significantly from the previously bookable options with the same name. Aldi Talk only added more data volume to its all-network flat rates at the beginning of June, but the price did not change. According to this, the S package currently has 4 GB instead of 3 GB of data for EUR 7.99, the M package has 8 GB instead of 6 GB of data for EUR 12.99 and the largest L package has 16 GB instead of 12 GB of data for EUR 17.99.
A good month later, Aldi Talk changed everything again and introduced 5G in its tariffs as one of the biggest changes. Users can therefore no longer just surf via LTE, but – if available – also use the 5G network from O2, which promises more stable connections and lower latency. At the same time, in addition to the maximum speed (50 Mbit/s instead of 25 Mbit/s), the included data volume increases again. Within the packages, users receive 2 GB to 4 GB more data volume. The already known telephone flat rate in all German networks as well as the SMS flat rate are still part of the tariffs.
The changes mentioned will result in the following details for the combination packages S, M and L from mid-July.
Allnet flat rates are becoming more expensive
Aldi Talk is the first prepaid discounter in Germany to give its customers access to the 5G network. Experience has shown that other providers such as Lidl Connect are following suit and will probably soon be able to activate 5G in their tariffs. Recently, Congstar, as a Telekom brand, also dared to take this step, whereby the 5G option costs 5 euros a month and can only be booked for the term tariffs.
The introduction of 5G and the increase in surfing speed and data volume is also not free for Aldi Talk customers. You will have to pay more for the new packages in the future. The costs for the combination package S increase by one euro to 8.99 euros per billing period. The two larger packages, M and L, are each EUR 2 more expensive and then cost EUR 14.99 or EUR 19.99 per 28 days. In relation to the new contents of the tariffs, the price increase is therefore limited.
However, this applies above all to Aldi Talk customers, who can actually use 5G. For this they need a smartphone that is 5G-capable. Especially in the cheap prepaid area, many customers still have devices in operation that can only surf via LTE. Especially since Aldi Talk has also marketed such smartphones in combination with its tariffs for a long time, think, for example, of the Samsung Galaxy A04s, which has been on sale more frequently lately. Only a few models like the Galaxy A13 5G made it onto the shelves.
How good is 5G in the O2 network really?
Aldi Talk implements its services in the O2 network. Like the other major network operators Telekom and Vodafone, O2 is currently working hard on the 5G expansion in Germany. According to its own statement, the network operator can currently supply more than 82 percent of the German population with 5G (as of March 2023). According to O2, the network is to be made available nationwide by the end of 2025.
During the expansion, O2 uses both the frequencies around 700 MHz and 1800 MHz, as well as the “real 5G frequencies” around 3.6 GHz. The frequency around 700 MHz is considered to have a large range and is therefore particularly suitable for extensive, rural regions. At a frequency of around 1800 MHz, 5G is basically superimposed on the existing LTE infrastructure. One speaks here of so-called Dynamic Spectrum Sharing. Although O2 can offer 5G relatively quickly in a relatively large number of regions in Germany, the fact that LTE only “piggybacks” 5G means that users do not have the advantages that 5G actually offers, i.e. the gigabit speed and low latency times.
Also read: Large mobile network test 2023 shows significant differences in 5G coverage
5G at 3.4 GHz is required to be able to use this. The frequency is primarily available in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Cologne, Stuttgart, Mainz, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Hanover and Leipzig. At the end of 2022, O2 had around 6,000 antennas transmitting on the 3.6 GHz frequency. But according to the network operator, the number should increase quickly, since the focus is currently on the 5G expansion.
The 5G activation can therefore bring advantages for users of Aldi Talk, provided they have a 5G smartphone and live in a region where the mobile communications standard is well developed. The transmission should be more stable here, since the networks are less busy. However, Aldi Talk customers do not have the advantage of the fast 5G speed even in 3.4 GHz expansion areas, as the provider throttles the maximum speed to 50 Mbit/s.
TECHBOOK means
“Once again, it is the provider Aldi Talk that is taking the first step when it comes to innovations in the prepaid sector. The activation of 5G in cheap tariffs is right and important. Finally, users who have not booked expensive term tariffs with the network operators can also benefit from the new network standard. I expect that other providers such as Lidl Connect will quickly follow suit. Sure, 5G still only offers a limited speed from mobile phone discounters, but users can already benefit from the less congested networks. With regard to the increased data volume in the prepaid options, I think the surcharge of 1 to 2 euros is fair.” – Rita Deutschbein, Editor-in-Chief