Short Answer
You can invoke an extraordinary termination right to break a fixed twenty-four-month telecommunications contract if your provider fails to deliver the promised bandwidth. You must formally document the service failure and grant the network operator a final two-week window to restore performance before you can walk away.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
Your home internet connection kept dropping daily, forcing you to use expensive cellular data packages to complete your remote office tasks. You called customer service lines for months, receiving nothing but automated troubleshooting scripts while your primary bills continued to draft. You canceled your direct deposit out of frustration, causing the provider to pass your file to a collection agency for the remaining contract balance. You lost €350 in contract termination penalties because you abandoned the account without following the mandatory legal notification sequence.
What To Do
- Download the official "Breitbandmessung" application from the Federal Network Agency to record your connection speed over several days.
- Send the verified measurement logs to your provider via a physical letter that outlines a firm 14-day repair deadline.
- "Ich mache von meinem Sonderkündigungsrecht Gebrauch." (I am making use of my special right of termination.) — email this statement to the company the exact day your 14-day deadline expires without a technical resolution.
The Truth
Internet providers in Germany are notorious for over-promising. The law was recently sharpened to give you a right to a discount or a right to cancel if the speed is consistently lower than promised.