Deutsche Telekom

Two German heavyweights are in advanced discussions to co-build large-scale AI data centre capacity in Germany, a move that would tap European Union funding and accelerate sovereign AI infrastructure. Deutsche Telekom and the Schwarz Group are exploring a joint bid to develop EU-supported “AI Gigafactory” facilities, data centres purpose-built for high-density AI training and inference. According to multiple reports, the talks are well progressed but not yet final. Infrastructure investor Brookfield has been flagged as a potential financial partner alongside EU capital, adding balance-sheet depth and construction expertise to the consortium.
Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report points to a clear shift: operators are turning 5G capabilities into differentiated, SLA-backed services rather than just selling more data at higher speeds. After years of building coverage and capacity, 5G networks are mature enough to commercialize features like guaranteed latency, uplink boosts, and application-aware prioritization. The catalysts are in place: more 5G Standalone (SA) cores, rising traffic from video creation and immersive apps, and enterprise demand for predictable performance across sites and clouds. The net result is momentum behind premium, differentiated connectivity that can be priced, assured, and exposed to partners.
Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems has secured a multi-million-euro contract from Leibniz University Hannover to power SOOFI, a flagship initiative to build a 100-billion-parameter, European-operated large language model. The SOOFI (Sovereign Open Source Foundation Models) project will train a next-generation, open-source LLM focused on European languages and industrial requirements, replacing the current 7-billion-parameter Teuken7B with a model two orders of magnitude larger. T-Systems will host and operate the training environment in its new Industrial AI Cloud—an NVIDIA-powered facility that DT and NVIDIA unveiled as part of a €1 billion partnership.
Group revenue reached about €28.9 billion, up 3.3% on an organic basis, with service revenue and adjusted EBITDA AL growing despite currency pressure from a weaker U.S. dollar; adjusted EBITDA AL was roughly €11.1 billion on an organic basis, and full-year 2025 EBITDA AL guidance rose to around €45.3 billion alongside a stronger free cash flow after leases outlook near €20.1 billion. Adjusted net profit increased to approximately €2.7 billion (+14% year-on-year), while reported net profit was €2.4 billion (-18% year-on-year) due to lapping prior-year one-offs in financial activities—an accounting effect rather than a signal of operating weakness.
Reports indicate SK Group will reduce executive ranks by up to 30%, a move that would reshape decision-making across affiliates including SK Telecom (SKT). For SKT, which sits at the nexus of the group’s AI, cloud, and connectivity ambitions, executive trims would concentrate authority and compress approval chains at a sensitive time for 5G monetization and AI platform bets. Executive consolidation at a Tier-1 operator tends to reset priorities, procurement rhythms, and partner engagement models.
October’s job-cut announcements surged, with AI and cost control reshaping staffing plans across technology and adjacent sectors. Planned layoffs spiked to roughly 153,000 in October, up more than 180% from September and about 175% from a year ago, according to the latest Challenger job-cuts tally. Year-to-date announcements for 2025 have crossed 1.09 million, the highest October-through-period since the pandemic shock of 2020 and above comparable 2009 levels. The cuts reflect a pivot from growth-at-any-cost to profitability, with AI rebalancing roles and budgets across the stack. Across reasons given, cost reduction led by a wide margin, and AI adoption was the second-largest driver, underscoring both macro pressure and structural transformation.
Germany’s migration from copper to fibre is entering a price-led phase, and Vodafone is sharpening fibre offers to pull DSL users across the line. Germany has the fibre footprint but not the take-up: many households still cling to DSL and VDSL even where FTTH is available, leaving operators running two networks and straining economics. The emphasis is on choice, transparency and avoiding dual-running costs—nudging, not forcing, customers to move. Price becomes the immediate lever to move hesitant households and SMEs off copper, especially in multi-dwelling units where permissions, in-building wiring and installation coordination add friction.
Germany’s largest operator is turning e-waste into engagement currency with a take-back drive that mixes material recovery with headline incentives. Deutsche Telekom estimates 195 million unused phones are sitting idle in Germany, locking up valuable materials and ESG progress. The company is reframing those devices as an urban mine—rich in gold, copper, and critical minerals—and as a lever to scale circularity ahead of its 2030 ambition to make all IT and network technology, and most end-user devices, recyclable or reusable. By the end of 2024, the operator had already taken back more than 11 million phones across the group.
Deutsche Telekom has launched a first in Europe: seamless eSIM profile transfers across Android and iOS, removing long-standing friction when customers switch devices or platforms. Customers on Deutsche Telekom can now move their mobile subscription as an eSIM from Android to iOS and vice versa without a carrier app, QR code, or paperwork. The transfer process is initiated in the settings of the new device and handled natively by the operating system, which detects the previous phone and orchestrates the migration. Deutsche Telekom validates device, tariff, and user eligibility in the background, then authorizes the transfer, preserving the phone number and plan.
Telefónica reports €77 billion invested over ten years to expand sustainable, resilient connectivity, with SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) as the strategic anchor. The operator now serves nearly 350 million accesses, has passed 81.4 million premises with FTTH, and runs one of the largest ultra-broadband footprints globally, second in scale only to China. Spain is Telefónica’s showcase for fiber-led modernization. Dense FTTH has enabled a managed copper switch-off, which simplifies operations, cuts energy use, and improves service quality. The operator targets net zero by 2040 - ten years ahead of many international timelines—and reports a 52% reduction in CO2 emissions across the value chain from 2015 to 2024.
Deutsche Telekom has launched 5G connectivity for the latest Apple Watch models using 3GPP RedCap over its 5G standalone network, marking a strategic first for Germany’s wearable market. This is one of the first mass-market RedCap launches tied to a high-volume consumer device, moving RedCap from trials and modules into mainstream adoption. It signals that 5G standalone is shifting from a technology milestone to a commercial differentiator, and that the wearables category is entering a new performance and battery-life phase beyond LTE-M and classic LTE. Expect accelerated RedCap adoption, intensified operator competition on SA coverage and certifications, and a new wave of enterprise-grade wearables built for 5G from the start.
T-Mobile has set a clear handover plan that pairs continuity with a sharpened focus on digital, AI, and new growth vectors. Srini Gopalan, currently Chief Operating Officer, will become CEO of T-Mobile US, succeeding Mike Sievert. Sievert moves to a newly created Vice Chairman role, remaining on the management team and Board to advise on strategy, innovation, talent, and external relations. The structure signals operational continuity and a deliberate next phase for the Un-carrier playbook across wireless, broadband, and adjacent services. Expect Gopalan to intensify investments in AI across care, sales, and network operations.

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