German MPs want cheaper Internet, phone access for soldiers

A cross-party group of German MPs is working on recommendations to improve phone and internet services provided for German soldiers on overseas postings.

EADS subsidiary Astrium was awarded a contract by the German government in July to provide a communications system for soldiers serving in Afghanistan at the port of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The standard tariff for internet access is EUR 0.05 per minute, which supports e-mail access. The Premium I-nternet service, which supports Skype access, costs EUR 17.40 per hour. The Department of Defense provides soldiers with 30 free minutes of calls, after which they pay EUR 0.21-EUR 0.39 per minute. However, the high cost has resulted in many complaints from serving soldiers, leading to the cross-party group to call for services to be cheaper or completely free.