As internet speeds continue to increase, the prices of slower tariffs are also rising, a recent analysis by the price comparison portal Verivox reveals. The study, reported by the Sunday editions of the Funke Media Group, shows that new DSL customers with low download rates are now paying a third more than they did in March 2023.
In contrast, tariffs with faster speeds of up to 500 megabits per second have become more affordable over the past two years and are often even cheaper than slower internet plans. According to Verivox, the deteriorating price-performance ratio is also causing a decline in demand for slower internet speeds.
The analysis found that the average monthly cost for a new DSL customer with a download speed of 16 megabits per second was 32.10 euros in March 2025, compared to 24.40 euros two years earlier, a price increase of 32 percent or 7.70 euros per month. Over a 24-month contract, this results in additional costs of 185 euros for consumers, as reported by the portal.
“Those who still surf slowly today often pay the price: the smaller tariffs are no longer subsidized and are therefore less attractive” said Jörg Schamberg, a telecommunications expert at Verivox, to the Funke newspapers. “This also affects the demand: within two years, the number of bookings for tariffs with 16 Mbit/s has more than halved. Even at 50 Mbit/s, bookings are declining, while interest in tariffs with 100 and 250 Mbit/s has increased significantly.”
The slowest DSL tariffs, which are now 16 Mbit/s, are not only more expensive than they were two years ago but are also often more expensive than faster, more powerful tariffs. For example, DSL with a download speed of 50 Mbit/s costs 23.10 euros per month, while 100 Mbit/s DSL costs 28 euros. The monthly price advantage of the slower 16 Mbit/s tariff over the faster 50 Mbit/s tariff is 9 euros or 4.10 euros, respectively.
Verivox recommends that internet users regularly compare prices, as the potential for savings lies in several hundred euros over 24 months – and often, more performance for less money. The portal has observed significant price reductions in the middle tariff range (250 to 500 Mbit/s) over the past two years, with a 20 percent decline since March 2023.
DSL has long since lost its price advantage to cable internet and now it is also losing out to fiber-optic internet, according to Verivox. Currently, DSL with a download speed of 100 Mbit/s costs an average of only 90 cents more per month than a faster fiber-optic tariff, at 28 euros and 28.90 euros, respectively. Tariffs with a download speed of 250 Mbit/s are even five euros cheaper per month over fiber-optic, at 29.50 euros for fiber-optic and 34.60 euros for DSL.
The European Union has set a target of 2030 for the end of all copper networks, with fiber-optic to replace them. However, a concrete timeline is still lacking in Germany, with only 47 percent of households currently connected to fiber-optic by the end of 2024. If fiber-optic is available, customers can already switch now. It is only when a region is at least 95 percent connected to fiber-optic that the network operator can submit a shutdown plan, giving customers sufficient time to switch. The broadband industry sees the price trend for slower connections as a trend towards fiber-optic already.
“The old copper wire has had its day” said Sven Kapp, a representative of the Federal Association of Broadband Communications (Breko), to the Funke newspapers. “The often-maintained myth of the expensive fiber-optic connection is long outdated: fiber-optic is today no longer a luxury, but a more affordable standard.” He called for a political roadmap for the transition from DSL to fiber-optic, as only then can the DSL brake be finally overcome and consumers quickly benefit from fiber-optic.