Telekom ends campaign “Im besten Netz” in the network identifier

Deutsche Telekom mobile customers saw a new, moving network identifier with the message “Im besten Netz” in the left corner of their smartphone screen since January 22nd. This display was part of a large-scale advertising campaign that the network operator has now apparently ended prematurely. The change was made via over-the-air update (OTA) to the customers' SIM profiles. Telekom.de should now be displayed again on phones.

The network identification changed in January was part of a 360-degree advertising campaign “for its high-performance networks,” explains the telecommunications company in its announcement. In addition to the advertising on smartphones, Telekom advertised its network with a new commercial featuring the song “What The World Needs Now Is Love” and various motifs.

The advertising on customers' smartphones met with all sorts of criticism: One Telekom customer wrote, for example: “Hello, this smartphone display ‘Im besten Netz’ instead of ‘Telekom’ made me extremely insecure this morning, I thought it was a hacker attack that had intercepted all the data and then left this notice.” It wasn't just customers who were irritated by the advertising: The Federation of German Consumer Organisations filed an application for a preliminary injunction against the advertisement at the Higher Regional Court of Cologne on February 5, 2026.

However, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations does not seem to be the only plaintiff: As Carsten Knobloch from Stadt-Bremerhaven.de learned from industry circles, Deutsche Telekom reacted by returning to the usual network identifier to a preliminary injunction from the Düsseldorf Regional Court.

Telekom: Campaign ended as planned

This injunction apparently brought the Telekom's “Im besten Netz” campaign to an earlier end than originally planned. According to the network operator, it was initially planned for four weeks, with the option of extension. The return to the old network identifier is confirmed, among others, by customers in the Telekom Forum “Telekom hilft”.

In response to an inquiry from heise online, Deutsche Telekom confirmed that a preliminary injunction had been issued. However, the company ended the campaign independently of this: They had planned from the beginning to switch back to “Telekom.de” in mid-February. “With the change of the network identifier to ‘Im besten Netz’, we informed, as planned, for about four weeks that Telekom provides its customers with the highest network quality.”

(afl)