Friedrichshafen: Switzerland lies across the water, the signal arrives anyway
Sites: BAKOM (retrieved 2026-10-07), map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Straight line, not radio coverage.
Uferpromenade Friedrichshafen
On the lakeside promenade in Friedrichshafen, my phone connected to the Swiss network. The nearest Swiss site is 11.5 kilometres away from there according to BAKOM, to the southwest. There is none within 10 kilometres, 35 within 15 kilometres and 160 within 20 kilometres.
That fits the newspaper reports and shows: you do not need to be close to the border. Across the water, a clear view of the other side is apparently enough.
- 11.5 kmto the nearest Swiss site, to the southwest
- 35sites within 15 km
- 160sites within 20 km
The lake carries the signal
The nearest Swiss site is 11.6 kilometres from Friedrichshafen according to BAKOM, to the southwest. The Swiss towns of Romanshorn and Arbon lie on the opposite shore. There is none within 10 kilometres, but the straight-line distance says nothing about what your phone receives at the shore: over open water, radio signals travel far.
What reports say
In 2014 the Schwäbische Zeitung wrote that in Friedrichshafen four German and three Swiss networks can be received. Vodafone then called the topic of roaming “still virulent” in the border regions. In 2017 the same newspaper counted Friedrichshafen, Lindau and Konstanz among the places where phones easily connect to a foreign network. We do not know how many networks there are today, the figure dates from 2014.
What you can do
You do not have to drive to Rorschach or Arbon for it to get expensive. Fix your network, or switch off data roaming. The instructions explain both in a few steps.
What helps in Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen in brief
Can my phone switch to the Swiss network in Friedrichshafen?
Reports from the region say yes. Our data shows the distance: 11.6 km to the nearest Swiss site. Whether it happens to you can be seen in the status bar.
Is there a cost brake?
According to the Schwäbische Zeitung, a cap of €50 plus tax applies to mobile data abroad. For calls there is no such simple limit.
Sources
- Schwäbische Zeitung, October 2014 (updated 2019)In Friedrichshafen four German and three Swiss networks can be received; Vodafone calls the topic “still virulent” in the border regions. (German)
- Schwäbische Zeitung, 2017 (updated 2019)Friedrichshafen, Lindau and Konstanz named as places where phones easily connect to a foreign network; €1.49 per minute for calls to Germany, 23 cents and more per megabyte; cost cap of €50 plus tax for mobile data abroad. (German)
- BAKOM, mobile antenna sites (geo.admin.ch)Figures and distances on this page, retrieved 7 Oct 2026; straight line from the town centre, not radio coverage.