December 31, 2025, 4:34 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
The countdown is on, the corks are popping–and suddenly the phone is practically silent: At the turn of the year, German mobile networks traditionally reach their limits. Millions want to send greetings, share photos, or make quick calls simultaneously. But those in the middle of a crowd or celebrating in rural areas quickly find themselves in digital limbo.
In the first minutes of the new year, networks are often overloaded, especially in urban areas–and in rural areas, you might find yourself in a dead zone. The results are the same: Phone calls are barely possible, and even sending texts can be difficult. And unless you’re connected to Wi-Fi, messaging or emailing won’t work either. Where should you expect mobile network overload on New Year’s Eve?
Overview
Where networks can crash on busy New Year’s Eve
Every year, there are places where especially large crowds gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Particularly in urban areas and wherever there’s a lot going on, the mobile and data networks can be temporarily overloaded after midnight. Even messaging services may briefly struggle to handle the volume of messages.
In cities, it’s advisable to send only text messages in the first minutes after midnight and possibly switch messaging services. If possible, move 500 meters or more away from crowds. Your phone might then connect to a cell tower that isn’t overloaded.
Prewrite and use distribution lists
To ensure calls to loved ones and friends don’t get lost in a dead zone and messages don’t arrive after the New Year’s party is over, strategic planning is worthwhile. To avoid bottlenecks in mobile networks on New Year’s Eve, the IT industry association Bitkom advises prewriting messages and saving them as drafts.
It’s also helpful to create a distribution list in advance if you want to send New Year’s greetings with the same wording to multiple people. This way, you can hit two birds with one stone. You can send all text messages with a single click right on time, and you don’t have to stare at your phone and type when the atmosphere around you is heating up.
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Scheduled sending to avoid dead zones
If you’re spending New Year’s Eve in an area with questionable mobile coverage, don’t want to miss any part of the New Year’s gala you’re attending, or simply want to go to bed early, Bitkom recommends scheduled sending. Many providers, apps, or services offer the option to send messages at a scheduled time. An example is the AutoResponder app for WhatsApp, available for Android smartphones.
If you know you’ll be celebrating in a dead zone, often the only option is to schedule your greetings with an email service.
Wi-Fi is the better choice at home
If you’re celebrating New Year’s Eve at home or with friends, you can most reliably send your messenger messages and emails via Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi networks, however, are often overloaded in the first minutes of the year. And if you want to send your New Year’s greetings by phone, a landline–if available–is still your best bet.