What Lidl Connect does

Lidl Connect is a German prepaid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) launched in 2018 as a brand within Lidl (Schwarz Group), operating entirely on the Vodafone 5G/LTE network infrastructure. The service is positioned as a discount mobile offering within Lidl's broader retail ecosystem and is sold through Lidl's physical stores, lidl.de, lidl-connect.de, and the Lidl Connect mobile app for iOS and Android. Legal telecommunications services are delivered by Vodafone GmbH; Lidl Connect functions as the brand, distribution, customer service, and billing layer. The legal entity disclosed is Vodafone GmbH (Düsseldorf), and the brand is operated from Lidl's headquarters at Neckarsulm, Germany. The actual GSM core, spectrum, and radio access network are not owned by Lidl Connect.

The product portfolio is organized around four tariff families: SMART (XS/S/M/L) at €4.99-€18.99 per 4 weeks with 2GB-100GB and flat-rate voice/SMS; Unlimited on Demand (S/M/L) at €9.99-€19.99 per 4 weeks with 25GB-100GB plus unlimited 1GB rebooking; CLASSIC pay-as-you-go at €0.09/minute/SMS with no base fee; and Jahrestarife (XS/S/M) annual prepaid plans at €69.99-€149.00 one-time offering 60GB-450GB over 365 days. All tariffs include EU roaming and operate on Vodafone's 5G/LTE network. Add-ons include Community Flatrate (€2.99/4 weeks), Data options, Dayflats, Speed Buckets, and Minuten-Option 100.

The business model is subscription-based prepaid revenue on a 4-week rolling cadence (with annual prepay options for Jahrestarife), sold through Lidl's omnichannel retail and digital footprint, targeting price-sensitive German consumers and prepaid-mobile users seeking no-contract flexibility. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the brand is internally funded within the Schwarz Group with no external venture or growth-equity capital. Service is restricted to Germany, with EU roaming provided as a feature rather than as a basis for geographic expansion.

Name

Lidl Connect

Legal name

Vodafone GmbH

Website

https://lidl-connect.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lidl Connect is a German prepaid MVNO launched in 2018 under Lidl (Schwarz Group), reselling Vodafone's 5G/LTE network via Lidl's retail stores, website, and mobile app to budget-conscious German consumers seeking low-cost, no-contract mobile tariffs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Neckarsulm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Mobile Subscription Services: Lidl Connect generates revenue through prepaid mobile tariff plans sold on a rolling 4-week subscription basis. Customers pay fixed fees for bundled minutes, SMS, and data services with options to add additional data or speed buckets. Yearly plans provide upfront annual payments for discounted service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lidl Connect is a German prepaid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that resells mobile connectivity on the Vodafone 5G/LTE network under the Lidl discount retail brand. It sells a portfolio of prepaid tariffs (SMART XS/S/M/L, Unlimited on Demand S/M/L, Jahrestarife XS/S/M, and the pay-as-you-go CLASSIC plan) along with a self-serve mobile app, EU roaming, and free number porting, distributed primarily through Lidl's physical stores and online channels.

Product overview

Lidl Connect is a German prepaid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) operated by Lidl, utilizing the Vodafone network infrastructure. The product portfolio consists of multiple prepaid tariff families: SMART tariffs (XS, S, M, L) as the core monthly offerings with included data and flat-rate calling; Unlimited on Demand tariffs (S, M, L) offering higher speeds with unlimited 1 GB data rebooking capability; year-long Jahrestarife (XS, S, M) for annual prepaid use; and the pay-as-you-go CLASSIC tariff with flexible add-ons. All tariffs include 5G/LTE connectivity, EU roaming, and various optional add-ons such as Community-Flatrate, Internet-Optionen, Dayflats, Speed-Buckets, and Data-only options. The company targets budget-conscious German consumers seeking low-cost mobile services with no minimum contract periods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smart XS Budget prepaid mobile tariff with 2 GB data, flat rate for calls and SMS to all German networks, 5G/LTE up to 100 Mbit/s, €4.99 per 4 weeks.
• Smart S Prepaid mobile tariff with 25 GB data, flat rate for calls and SMS to all German networks, 5G/LTE up to 100 Mbit/s, €8.99 per 4 weeks.
• Smart M Prepaid mobile tariff with 50 GB data, flat rate for calls and SMS to all German networks, 5G/LTE up to 100 Mbit/s, €13.99 per 4 weeks.
• Smart L Prepaid mobile tariff with 100 GB data, flat rate for calls and SMS to all German networks, 5G/LTE up to 100 Mbit/s, €18.99 per 4 weeks.
• Unlimited on Demand S Prepaid mobile tariff with 25 GB initial data, up to 50 Mbit/s, unlimited standard calls/SMS in Germany, and unlimited 1 GB data top-ups at no extra cost, €9.99 per 4 weeks.
• Unlimited on Demand M Prepaid mobile tariff with 50 GB initial data, up to 100 Mbit/s, unlimited standard calls/SMS in Germany, and unlimited 1 GB data top-ups at no extra cost, €14.99 per 4 weeks.
• Unlimited on Demand L Prepaid mobile tariff with 100 GB initial data, up to 150 Mbit/s, unlimited standard calls/SMS in Germany, and unlimited 1 GB data top-ups at no extra cost, €19.99 per 4 weeks.
• Classic Pay-as-you-go prepaid tariff with no base fee, €0.09 per minute and per SMS, no minimum contract period, with separate data options bookable on top.
• Jahrestarif XS Annual prepaid tariff with 60 GB data valid for 365 days, unlimited calls/SMS to German networks, up to 100 Mbit/s, €69.99 one-time payment with €49 renewal for the second half of the year.
• Jahrestarif S Annual prepaid tariff with 250 GB data valid for 365 days, unlimited calls/SMS to German networks, up to 100 Mbit/s, €99.99 one-time payment with €69 renewal for the second half of the year.
• Jahrestarif M Annual prepaid tariff with 450 GB data valid for 365 days, unlimited calls/SMS to German networks, up to 100 Mbit/s, €149.00 one-time payment with €99 renewal for the second half of the year.
• Lidl Connect App Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling Lidl Connect prepaid customers to manage their account, view usage, book options, perform data top-ups, and access customer support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Affordable pricing: Smart S tariff at €8.99/4 weeks for 25GB with unlimited calls/SMS
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VodafonecoreTechnology or IntegrationVodafone GmbH serves as the core network infrastructure provider for Lidl Connect. All mobile services including 5G/LTE connectivity, voice, SMS, and data are delivered through Vodafone's network. The partnership enables Lidl Connect to offer nationwide coverage without building its own network infrastructure. Vodafone's address is Ferdinand-Braun-Platz 1, 40549 Düsseldorf, Germany.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WinSIM: WinSIM is a discount mobile brand within the 1&1/Drillisch group offering prepaid and postpaid tariffs on Telefónica/O2 in Germany. Comparable in target segment (price-sensitive mobile consumers) and pure-reseller business model.
• simplytel: simplytel is a Drillisch-owned discount mobile brand offering low-cost prepaid tariffs in Germany on Telefónica/O2, competing head-to-head with Lidl Connect on the value tier.
• Tchibo Mobil: Tchibo Mobil is the mobile brand of retailer/coffee brand Tchibo, offering prepaid plans on Telefónica/O2 in Germany. It mirrors Lidl Connect's combination of an established retailer brand with an MVNO mobile product aimed at value-conscious consumers.
• ALDI TALK: ALDI TALK is the prepaid mobile brand of discounter ALDI, operating as an MVNO in Germany (and across multiple ALDI countries) on Telefó+O2 networks. It is the closest comparable to Lidl Connect given the retailer-MVNO model, discount positioning, prepaid focus, and shared mass-market customer base.
• Congstar: Congstar is Deutsche Telekom's value-segment MVNO brand offering prepaid and postpaid mobile plans on the Telekom network. Comparable to Lidl Connect as a major German MVNO targeting price-sensitive consumers on a top-tier underlying network.
• Klarmobil: Klarmobil is another leading 1&1/Drillisch discount mobile brand in Germany offering prepaid tariffs at value price points. Comparable as a direct competitor in the German low-cost MVNO segment.
• PremiumSIM: PremiumSIM is a Drillisch/1&1 budget MVNO brand targeting price-sensitive German mobile consumers with cheap prepaid and postpaid offerings, directly competing with Lidl Connect's tariffs.
• Otelo: Otelo is Telefónica Germany's value-focused mobile brand running on the O2 network. It competes with Lidl Connect in the same German discounter prepaid tier and shares the pure-MVNO (no own network) operating profile.

Broad incumbents

• O2 (Telefónica Germany): O2 is one of Germany's three mobile network operators and the underlying host network for several MVNO competitors (Otelo, WinSIM, PremiumSIM, etc.). It sits adjacent to Lidl Connect as a broad incumbent offering competing prepaid and postpaid tariffs directly to consumers.
• 1&1 Mobilfunk: 1&1 (Drillisch) is the largest independent MVNO operator in Germany and is now building its own 4G/5G network. Compared to Lidl Connect as a broader incumbent reseller/operator in the same value mobile segment, but with significantly more scale and its own infrastructure ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lidl Connect