The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global industry association representing telecommunications operators worldwide. Through its indicators, the GSMA aims to establish a uniform sustainability standard for the telecommunications sector and to enhance comparability between companies.
To this end, the GSMA has defined ten core industry KPIs, which are assigned to the four categories Environment, Digital inclusion, Digital integrity and Supply chain. The KPIs are based on established standards such as GRI and SASB, which have long been applied by Deutsche Telekom.
We welcome the GSMA’s approach of building on these sector‑specific and well‑established standards. In the table below, we disclose the extent to which we already meet the individual GSMA indicators. In each case, the English name of the indicator is authoritative. The German translation is provided solely for ease of understanding, as no official German translation has been published.
| Topic | KPI designation | GSMA code | Description GSMA code | Reference and additional information | ||||
|
Operational footprint |
– |
Total number of connections |
298 million |
|||||
|
– |
Total network data traffic (petabytes) |
245,000 |
Environment
| Topic | KPI designation | GSMA code | Description GSMA code | Reference and additional information | ||||
|
Emissions |
Science Based Target |
GSMA-ENV-01 |
Indicate whether the company has set or is committed to short-term, science-based goals. |
ESRS E1‑4 – Targets related to climate change mitigation and adaptation |
||||
|
Disclose whether the company has set a corporate net zero target (covering Scopes 1, 2 and 3) |
||||||||
|
Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions |
GSMA-ENV-02 |
Scope 1 emissions (tons of CO2e) |
||||||
|
Scope 2 emissions, location-based |
||||||||
|
Scope 2 emissions, market-based |
||||||||
|
Percentage change in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions since the last reporting period |
Scope 1 + 2 CO2e emissions (market-based): -4.9 % compared to 2024 Scope 1 + 2 CO2e emissions (location-based): -6.6 % compared to 2024 |
|||||||
|
Combined Scope 1 + 2 emissions per unit of total revenue (tons of CO2e per currency) |
Combined Scope 1 + 2 emissions (market-based) per unit total revenues: 2.0 (t CO2e/million €) Combined Scope 1 + 2 emissions (location-based) per unit total revenues: 33.3 (t CO2e/million €) |
|||||||
|
Total Scope 3 emissions (tons of CO2e) |
||||||||
|
Scope 3 emissions by category |
||||||||
|
Energy |
Energy consumption |
GSMA-ENV-03 |
Total energy consumption (MWh) |
|||||
|
Total electricity purchased (MWh) |
Energy: Optimising consumption and increasing efficiency |
|||||||
|
Purchased electricity from renewable energies (MWh) |
Energy: Optimising consumption and increasing efficiency Renewable energy includes electricity from renewable sources, biogas, as well as energy used for heating and cooling, including district heating and district cooling. |
|||||||
|
Electricity generation from renewable sources (MWh) consumed by the company |
||||||||
|
Total consumption of diesel in generators (liters) |
We do not currently report this KPI. |
|||||||
|
Total energy consumption of the grid, including core, fixed and mobile networks (MWh) |
We do not currently report this KPI. |
|||||||
|
Energy consumption of mobile networks (MWh) |
We do not currently report this KPI. |
|||||||
|
Total grid energy consumed per data unit (MWh/PB) or connection (kWh per connection) |
||||||||
|
Percentage change in the energy intensity of the network (MWh/PB or kWh per connection) since the last reporting period |
ESRS E1‑5 – Energy consumption and mix Reduction in energy intensity by 16 % or 9 kWh/terabyte compared to 2024. Energy intensity is calculated annually as the ratio of energy consumption (million kWh) to IP data volume (million terabytes). |
|||||||
|
Circular economy |
Circularity |
GSMA-ENV-04 |
Percentage of network technology taken out of service during the reporting period that was repaired, reused or sold to another company (%). |
We do not currently report this KPI. Since 2025, we have been using the internal marketplace Telekom Equipment Exchange (TEE) to make used network equipment available within the Group (excluding T‑Mobile US). Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
||||
|
Percentage of network technology installed in the reporting period that was reused or renewed in the total network technology installed in the reporting period (%) |
We do not currently report this KPI. Instead, we make visible the extent to which refurbished network equipment and materials with recycled content are taken into account in new procurements, measured by weight. Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
|||||||
|
Share of used CPE collected by operators’ take-back systems in the reporting period as a percentage of the CPE distributed to customers in the reporting period (%). |
Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
|||||||
|
Percentage of used electrical and electronic equipment collected in the reporting period under operators’ take-back schemes that were repaired, reused or recycled, i.e. withdrawn from landfill or incineration (%). |
Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
|||||||
|
Share of refurbished, repaired or used CPEs sold to customers in the reporting period out of all CPEs sold to customers in the reporting period (%). |
Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
|||||||
|
Waste |
GSMA-ENV-05 |
Total electronic waste generated (tonnes) |
Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
|||||
|
Percentage of reused or recycled electronic waste, by weight (%) |
Circular economy: a systematic approach along the value chain |
Digital inclusion
| Topic | KPI designation | GSMA code | Description GSMA code | Reference and additional information | ||||
|
Network coverage |
Population covered by mobile network |
GSMA-INC-01 |
Percentage of the population covered by the operator’s mobile network. Breakdown by: 3G, 4G, 5G |
|||||
|
Affordability |
Affordability of devices and tariffs |
GSMA-INC-02 |
Cost of the cheapest phone with data capabilities as a percentage of monthly GDP per capita |
Due to our exposure to a variety of markets, we do not report this KPI. The focus of our activities to promote digital participation is to enable affordability where it is most urgently needed. However, with our 5G smartphones T Phone 3 and T Phone 3 Pro – or in the United States, the similar products from the REVVL series – we generally enable consumers access to the latest technologies at an attractive price. |
||||
|
Cost of 1 GB of data, as a percentage of monthly GDP per capita |
Due to a regulated market that is affected by fluctuations, we do not report this KPI. |
|||||||
|
Digital skills |
Digital skills training programs |
GSMA-INC-03 |
Number of people (excluding employees) who have completed a training program for basic, intermediate or advanced digital skills, divided by total number of customers |
Our KPI “Beneficiaries – Digital Society” provides information on the number of trained people: ESRS S4-4 – Actions related to consumers and end-users ESRS S4-5 – Targets related to consumers and end-users Digital inclusion: overcoming the divide However, in the methodology presented here, we cannot show the KPI. |
Digital integrity
| Topic | KPI designation | GSMA code | Description GSMA code | Reference and additional information | ||||
|
Privacy |
Customer data incidents |
GSMA-INT-01 |
Number of data breaches, per million customers |
On our website, we provide information about data protection-related processes and the measures we have taken to counter them. |
||||
|
Percentage of data breaches involving personally identifiable information (PII) |
On our website, we provide information about data protection-related processes and the measures we have taken to counter them. |
|||||||
|
Number of customers affected, per million customers |
On our website, we provide information about data protection-related processes and the measures we have taken to counter them. |
|||||||
|
Number of regulatory actions taken as a result of data breaches (e.g., marketing-related complaints, data breaches, etc.), per million customers |
We do not currently report this KPI. |
|||||||
|
Digital rights |
Digital rights policy |
GSMA-INT-02 |
Is there a specific policy for security and transparency in the area of digital rights, data protection, freedom of expression, government-mandated access blocking or restriction and/or government requests for data? |
Yes: |
||||
|
Online security |
Online safety measures |
GSMA-INT-03 |
Are there established controls or programs in place to improve the online safety of children and other vulnerable groups? |
With our measures to promote media literacy, we primarily enable children and young people, parents, and senior citizens to use digital media in a safe and competent way. This involves not only imparting basic skills for the responsible use of digital media, but also strengthening the ability to protect one’s own privacy and to deal appropriately with hate speech and disinformation. ESRS S4-4 – Actions related to consumers and end-users |
Supply chain
| Topic | KPI designation | GSMA code | Description GSMA code | Reference and additional information | ||||
|
Sustainable supply chain |
Sustainable procurement policy |
GSMA-SUP-01 |
Is there an established policy for sustainable procurement? |
Environmental and social aspects are integral components of our purchasing policy and are incorporated into our supplier contracts through our Supplier Code of Conduct as well as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Purchasing. In tendering processes, we take into account, where possible and alongside quality and cost criteria, aspects such as CO2 emissions and respect for human rights. |
||||
|
If so, how many of the following elements does it cover? |
The Supplier Code of Conduct covers these elements. |
|||||||
|
Corporate management: decision-making processes and structures |
Yes |
|||||||
|
Human rights |
Yes |
|||||||
|
Labour practices |
Yes |
|||||||
|
Environment |
Yes |
|||||||
|
Fair Operating Practices |
Yes |
|||||||
|
Consumer concerns |
No |
|||||||
|
Commitment and development promotion for the community |
No |
|||||||
|
Supplier assessment |
GSMA-SUP-02 |
Percentage of suppliers audited in the past two years as part of an assessment process defined and documented by the company in accordance with the Sustainable Procurement Policy |
We do not report on the percentage of suppliers audited, but on the percentage of the audited procurement volume. This approach provides a more accurate representation of the relevant parts of our supply chain. |
|||||
|
Percentage of suppliers assessed in accordance with the Policy during site inspections in the last two years |
We do not report on the percentage of our suppliers, but on the percentage of our order volume, as this better reflects the relevant parts of our supply chain. |