27 Depreciation, amortization and impairment losses
The following table provides a breakdown of depreciation, amortization and impairment losses:
millions of € |
|
|
|
|
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets |
6,792 |
6,666 |
6,580 |
Of which: amortization of mobile licenses |
574 |
563 |
554 |
Of which: impairment losses |
2 |
33 |
101 |
Of which: impairment losses on mobile licenses |
0 |
4 |
4 |
Depreciation and impairment of property, plant and equipment |
11,823 |
11,946 |
11,954 |
Of which: impairment losses |
39 |
85 |
110 |
Depreciation and impairment of right-of-use assets |
5,393 |
5,415 |
5,441 |
Of which: impairment losses |
29 |
3 |
10 |
|
24,009 |
24,027 |
23,975 |
Impairment losses break down as follows:
millions of € |
|
|
|
||||
|
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intangible assets |
2 |
33 |
101 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment tests in the Romania cash-generating unit |
2 |
17 |
0 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment test in the Systems Solutions cash-generating unita |
0 |
15 |
96 |
||||
Property, plant and equipment |
39 |
85 |
110 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment tests in the Romania cash-generating unit |
20 |
71 |
0 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment test in the Systems Solutions cash-generating unit |
0 |
0 |
54 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment tests of assets of the fiber-optic-based fixed network in the United Statesb |
0 |
0 |
28 |
||||
Right-of-use assets |
29 |
3 |
10 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment tests in the Romania cash-generating unit |
27 |
0 |
0 |
||||
Of which: in connection with the ad hoc impairment tests of assets of the fiber-optic-based fixed network in the United Statesb |
0 |
0 |
8 |
||||
|
71 |
120 |
221 |
||||
|
|||||||
Depreciation, amortization and impairment losses on intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, and right-of-use assets remained on the prior-year level at EUR 24.0 billion.
Depreciation and amortization remained stable at the prior-year level of EUR 23.9 billion. In the Group Headquarters & Group Services segment, depreciation, amortization and impairment losses decreased, mainly as a result of the ongoing optimization of our real estate portfolio, and due to a lower capitalization rate for own capitalized costs in connection with IT projects. In the Germany operating segment, depreciation and amortization increased slightly due to rising volumes in the fiber-optic build-out. In the United States operating segment, depreciation and amortization remained at the prior-year level. In U.S. dollars, they increased as a result of non-current assets assumed under the UScellular Acquisition. The acceleration of certain technology assets in the prior year had an offsetting effect.
As in the prior year, impairment losses amounted to EUR 0.1 billion. Impairment losses totaling EUR 50 million were recognized in the Europe operating segment in 2025 following ad hoc impairment tests at the Romania cash-generating unit. EUR 27 million of the impairment losses related to right-of-use assets, EUR 20 million to property, plant and equipment, and EUR 2 million to intangible assets. The impairment losses recognized in the prior year of EUR 0.1 billion also related primarily to the Romania cash-generating unit in the Europe operating segment. Impairment losses on intangible assets and property, plant and equipment totaling EUR 88 million were recognized here.
For further information on the ad hoc impairment tests, please refer to Note 6 “Intangible assets.”
In the United States operating segment, reductions in useful lives resulted in additional depreciation and amortization in the amount of EUR 128 million. Of this total, EUR 13 million applied to intangible assets, EUR 83 million to property, plant and equipment, and EUR 31 million to right-of-use assets.
For further information, please refer to Note 6 “Intangible assets,” Note 7 “Property, plant and equipment,” and Note 8 “Right-of-use assets – lessee relationships.”