Our identity: “T”

We use our strengths to implement our strategy and we assume social responsibility: our brand in particular plays an important role in how customers perceive us. In the reporting year, the Brand Finance Global 500 study ranked Deutsche Telekom the most valuable telecommunications brand globally and one of its top-10 most valuable brands worldwide. According to Brand Finance, the 17 % increase in Deutsche Telekom’s brand value to USD 73.3 billion is due to a strong network and successful fiber-optic build-out in Europe, and to 5G leadership in the United States. The Brand Finance study highlights Deutsche Telekom’s leading position in respect of customer satisfaction and raises the Company’s Brand Strength Index (BSI) to 83 out of 100 points.

A further factor crucial to our long-term success is the commitment of our employees. The question on Mood or Satisfaction remains at a very high level of 80 % (2023: 78 %). 83 % of employees confirmed they are proud of the brand, and participation in our Shares2You share program is further evidence that our employees identify with our Company. Through this program, we want to give our employees the opportunity for greater participation in the Company’s success. In the reporting year, over 40 % of our employees in Germany (around 38 thousand excluding managers) participated in the program, along with over 4 thousand employees internationally. The existing countries of Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary were joined by nine further countries in the reporting year: Singapore, Austria, India, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greece, Croatia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Shares2You is now a global shares program for employees extending well beyond the confines of Europe.

In parallel, we fulfill our responsibility to society by systematically aligning our core business processes with the principle of sustainability. We revised and further refined our sustainability strategy in 2022, and work in line with the strategy to achieve our goals in respect of climate protection, circular economy, diversity, team performance, digital responsibility, and participation. We want to reach net zero along the entire value chain by 2040. Our interim goal for 2030 is to cut emissions along the value chain by 55 % against 2020, and by as much as 90 % by 2040. Our climate goal complies with SBTi requirements. We also want to make our value chain for terminal equipment and network technology in Germany and Europe almost entirely circular by 2030.

We have taken back around 5.5 million devices in Germany and Europe either to refurbish or to send them directly for recycling, so that we and our customers actively help conserve resources and protect the climate. We are also tackling the issues of climate protection and circular economy with our suppliers, e.g., in tender conditions.

We introduced a sustainability standard for our packaging back in 2020, removing single-use plastics in favor of recyclable materials and environmentally friendly colorings. All new Telekom-branded (or T-branded) devices and more than two thirds of the new packaging for smartphones that we source from our suppliers meet these criteria. Since 2021, 100 % of our electricity requirements for all Group units have been met from renewable sources. In line with our planning, in 2024 we were twice as energy efficient as in 2020, based on the data volume in the network in relation to the power consumed in this context. To help us achieve this goal, we are decommissioning legacy platforms – including PSTN, migrating to more efficient technology – such as the switch from 3G to 5G, using highly efficient data centers, and deploying AI. From a long-term perspective, we will also achieve savings from the migration from copper to fiber-optic technology. These measures enabled us to maintain stable power consumption in Germany and Europe in 2024 compared to 2020, despite rapidly rising data volumes, growing numbers of active network components, and the further densification of our networks. In 2024, we added green AI principles to our existing AI ethics guidelines particularly to uphold high standards of accountability in the use of AI. Nine principles will help us to manage the consumption of energy and resources for AI responsibly and in an environmentally friendly way. Above and beyond this, we are supporting a responsible approach to digitalization. Under the motto “No hate speech,” Deutsche Telekom is supporting, for example, projects for media literacy in society and against cyberbullying. In 2024, we successfully expanded our commitment in this area with a campaign against disinformation and fake news.

In the reporting year, we launched the Telekom Sustainability Campus, a learning platform offering all employees in Germany and Europe access to online sustainability training. The goal is to help employees contribute to the Group’s sustainability-related goals in their daily work.

For further information on our sustainability strategy, please refer to the section “Combined sustainability statement.”

Our strategy is summarized in the following ambitions:

• We want to make the difference by delivering the leading network experience for our customers: best fiber, best 5G network.
• We want to grow further: by monetizing high-quality networks and services that enhance digital life and business of our customers. And generate additional revenue through the Magenta Advantage.
• We want to increase our productivity and cost efficiency end-to-end through continuous automation, simplification, and modernization.
• We want to maximize capital returns to re-invest in sustainable growth and to deliver superior shareholder value.
• We make digitalization our top priority and harness the full potential of our data and of AI.
• We leverage our global scale with global services, cloudified API-based NT/IT platforms, and common operations.
• We play a responsible and active role in society. We are a partner, not just at a societal level, but also at a political one, and we work in the interests of ensuring the open, forward-looking development of all countries in which we are active.