Germany
Customer development
thousands |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Dec. 31, 2025 |
Dec. 31, 2024 |
Change |
Change |
Dec. 31, 2023 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mobile customers |
74,490 |
68,553 |
5,936 |
8.7 |
61,419 |
||
Contract customers |
27,740 |
26,532 |
1,208 |
4.6 |
25,171 |
||
Prepaid customers (incl. M2M) |
46,750 |
42,021 |
4,728 |
11.3 |
36,248 |
||
Fixed-network lines |
16,796 |
17,155 |
(359) |
(2.1) |
17,342 |
||
Retail broadband lines |
15,103 |
15,152 |
(49) |
(0.3) |
15,018 |
||
Of which: optical fibera |
13,370 |
13,213 |
157 |
1.2 |
12,893 |
||
Television (IPTV, satellite) |
4,747 |
4,638 |
109 |
2.4 |
4,327 |
||
Wholesale lines |
10,077 |
10,474 |
(396) |
(3.8) |
10,834 |
||
Wholesale broadband lines |
8,536 |
8,587 |
(51) |
(0.6) |
8,307 |
||
Of which: optical fibera |
7,617 |
7,602 |
16 |
0.2 |
7,307 |
||
Unbundled local loop lines (ULLs) |
1,541 |
1,887 |
(346) |
(18.3) |
2,527 |
||
|
|||||||
Total
In Germany, we continue to be market leader both in terms of fixed-network and mobile revenues. This success is attributable to our high-performance networks, a broad product portfolio, and good service. We want to offer our customers a seamless and technology-neutral telecommunications experience. We regularly adapt our product portfolio to address the needs of our customers.
Mobile communications
Our Germany operating segment had a total of 74.5 million mobile customers as of December 31, 2025. The number of high-value mobile contract customers under the Telekom and congstar brands grew by 1.1 million customers overall against December 31, 2024. Sustained high demand for mobile rate plans with data volumes continues to drive this trend. The prepaid customer base grew by 11.3 % against the end of 2024, driven mainly by the M2M SIM cards used in the automotive industry.
Fixed network
The total number of fiber-optic-based lines was 21.0 million at the end of 2025, reflecting sustained demand for higher bandwidths. The number of retail broadband lines remained more or less stable against the end of 2024 at a total of 15.1 million customers. Around 55 % of the customers have subscribed to a rate plan with speeds of 100 Mbit/s or higher. The rise in demand for our TV content drove growth in our TV customer base of 109 thousand against year-end 2024, an increase of 2.4 %. The number of fixed-network lines decreased by 2.1 % to 16.8 million lines on account of the decline in the voice product.
Wholesale
The number of wholesale lines declined overall as of December 31, 2025. This trend results partly from consumers switching to other providers and partly from our wholesale partners migrating their retail customers to their own infrastructures. Fiber-optic-based wholesale broadband lines accounted for 75.6 % of all lines – an increase of 3.0 percentage points against the end of 2024.
Development of operations
millions of € |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
2025 |
2024 |
Change |
Change |
2023 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Revenue |
|
25,610 |
25,711 |
(101) |
(0.4) |
25,187 |
||
Consumers |
|
12,953 |
13,174 |
(221) |
(1.7) |
12,640 |
||
Business Customersa |
|
8,739 |
8,727 |
12 |
0.1 |
9,258 |
||
Wholesalea |
|
3,249 |
3,249 |
0 |
0.0 |
2,688 |
||
Other |
|
668 |
561 |
107 |
19.1 |
602 |
||
Service revenue |
|
22,710 |
22,480 |
231 |
1.0 |
22,096 |
||
EBITDA |
|
10,887 |
10,082 |
806 |
8.0 |
10,294 |
||
Special factors affecting EBITDA |
|
(466) |
(1,056) |
591 |
55.9 |
(501) |
||
EBITDA (adjusted for special factors) |
|
11,353 |
11,138 |
215 |
1.9 |
10,794 |
||
EBITDA AL |
|
10,228 |
9,459 |
769 |
8.1 |
9,737 |
||
Special factors affecting EBITDA AL |
|
(466) |
(1,056) |
591 |
55.9 |
(501) |
||
EBITDA AL (adjusted for special factors) |
|
10,694 |
10,516 |
178 |
1.7 |
10,238 |
||
EBITDA AL margin (adjusted for special factors) |
% |
41.8 |
40.9 |
|
|
40.6 |
||
Depreciation, amortization and impairment losses |
|
(4,486) |
(4,384) |
(102) |
(2.3) |
(4,220) |
||
Profit (loss) from operations (EBIT) |
|
6,401 |
5,698 |
704 |
12.4 |
6,073 |
||
EBIT margin |
% |
25.0 |
22.2 |
|
|
24.1 |
||
Cash capex |
|
(4,870) |
(4,782) |
(88) |
(1.8) |
(4,587) |
||
Cash capex (before spectrum investment) |
|
(4,870) |
(4,782) |
(88) |
(1.8) |
(4,587) |
||
|
||||||||
Revenue, service revenue
Total revenue in our Germany operating segment decreased in the reporting year by 0.4 % year-on-year to EUR 25.6 billion, mainly due to lower mobile terminal equipment revenues. By contrast, service revenues grew by 1.0 % year-on-year, due to growth in the mobile and fixed-network businesses, largely driven by broadband and TV business.
Revenue from Consumers declined by 1.7 % against the prior year due to lower mobile terminal equipment revenues. The fixed-network business continued to perform well, characterized by sustained broadband revenue growth driven by a number of positive factors, including customer appreciation for reliable networks and high bandwidths as well as our TV offerings. This development more than offset the decline in voice components. Mobile service revenues also trended positively, in line with customer development.
Revenue from Business Customers remained at the same level as in the prior year. The fixed-network business remained below the prior-year level, mainly due to declines in voice business and call charges, while the mobile business developed positively.
Wholesale revenue remained stable year-on-year in the reporting year at EUR 3.2 billion.
Adjusted EBITDA AL, EBITDA AL
Adjusted EBITDA AL increased by EUR 0.2 billion or 1.7 % year-on-year. The main reasons for this increase are high-value service revenue growth and enhanced cost efficiency, primarily as a result of the lower headcount and the ongoing implementation of efficiency enhancement and digitalization measures. Various one-time effects came into play. Our adjusted EBITDA AL margin amounted to 41.8 %.
At EUR 10.2 billion, EBITDA AL increased by 8.1 % against the prior-year level, due to the effects described under adjusted EBITDA AL and lower year-on-year expenses arising from special factors. The prior year had included special factors of EUR 1.1 billion, primarily in connection with the forgone contingent consideration receivable from IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, and increased socially responsible staff restructuring measures. Special factors in the reporting year amounted to EUR 0.5 billion, and likewise mainly related to socially responsible staff restructuring measures.
Profit/loss from operations (EBIT)
Profit from operations amounted to EUR 6.4 billion, an increase of 12.4 % against the prior year. This was mainly due to the positive development of EBITDA, which in the prior year had included the negative effect of higher special factors as described above. This was offset by an increase of 2.3 % in depreciation, amortization and impairment losses, mainly resulting from rising fiber build-out volumes.
Cash capex (before spectrum investment), cash capex
Cash capex (before spectrum investment) increased by EUR 88 million, or 1.8 %, compared with the prior year. Capital expenditure totaled EUR 4.9 billion in the reporting year, with much of this figure going towards the build-out of our fiber-optic network. The number of homes passed by our fiber-optic network had increased to 12.6 million by December 31, 2025. In mobile communications, 99.0 % of German households can already use 5G.