Deutsche Telekom boss calls for digital ministry and expansion turbo law

The CEO of Deutsche Telekom, Timotheus Höttges, is calling for the rapid implementation of a "genuine network expansion acceleration law" in the German parliamentary election campaign. This demand is part of a 10-point immediate action plan for the digitalization of Germany, reports the newsletter service Table Media. Höttges presented this plan during a visit to the closed meeting of the CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag in Kloster Seeon during the week.

According to the Telekom boss, only 13% of households in Germany actually use fiber optic lines. Digital investments should be supported by special depreciation allowances and tax relief.

For a long time, the Magenta Group relied on copper-based VDSL with vectoring and slowly switched to fiber optics. Now Höttges obviously can't move fast enough as he pushes for improved, legally anchored expansion conditions.

The bill to accelerate the expansion of telecommunications networks, which has been controversial for around a year and a half, was actually supposed to go through the Bundestag in November. However, after the coalition government's withdrawal, digital politicians from the SPD, Greens and FDP accused each other of having prevented the initiative from being passed.

The main point of contention was whether the expansion of telecommunications networks should generally be classified as being in the "overriding public interest". Industry associations insisted on this.

However, the German government only wanted to give priority to closing dead spots, for example in nature conservation areas, not to laying fiber optics.

Ways out of the "super crisis"

"I expressly welcome the establishment of a separate digital ministry with appropriate funding so that it can make a difference in this country," Table Media quotes Höttges as saying, referring to participants in the confidential meeting. To date, digital policy at federal level has been assigned to the transport ministry.

According to the agenda, future technologies such as data centers, robots and artificial intelligence (AI) should be promoted more strongly. The Telekom manager emphasized: "The re-industrialization of Germany can only work through robotics, data centers, chips and cheap energy." Electricity prices should therefore be lowered for networks and data centers. Otherwise, there is no way out of the "super crisis that has currently gripped the German economy".

According to the report, Höttges called for e-government to be expanded through the uncompromising introduction of a digital ID for citizens.

E-health solutions should be implemented quickly. Cybersecurity should be strengthened. Tax advantages for start-ups should be another point of the program.

Cooperation with leading digital nations should also be expanded through targeted tech partnerships.

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