Network quality and coverage

Strategy

We enable digital participation

We continuously work to provide a modern, reliable, and secure network throughout Germany. Our focus is clear: connectivity – even where it is currently lacking. In small towns, along connecting roads, and along railways, we make tangible progress. In this way, we contribute to supporting comparable living conditions, promote social and economic participation, and strengthen fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and information. For these reasons, we continuously invest in the expansion and modernisation of our networks and services. At the same time, we rely on state-of-the-art technologies that can reduce energy consumption and unlock the potential for resource-efficient business models. We are aware that comprehensive education and the development of digital skills are crucial so that our customers can use our network safely and independently. You can read about what we are doing in this regard in chapter Digital skills.

Policies

Strong principles for digital participation

We act in accordance with the EU Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) and our Responsible Business Principles to ensure that people and businesses – including those in rural areas – can use accessible digital services. Our Declaration of Principles on Respecting Human Rights and our Human Rights Policy define access to telecommunications as a societal responsibility. The Guideline for Ethically Responsible Communication enshrines this as a fundamental principle.

The principles of our AI Code of Conduct demonstrate our commitment to using AI to promote digital inclusion. The Manifesto for a New Digital Deal is a Group-wide strategic policy document primarily addressing digital responsibility, data protection, net neutrality, and social inclusion.

Targets

We had the following targets by the end of 2025:

• Provide high-quality 5G coverage for 99% of the total German population – taking into account residential and work locations as well as commuter movements.
• Provide 100Mbit/s internet speed for the rural population.

Performance

We are on course

• By the end of 2025, we achieved 5G coverage for approx. 99% of the total German population (2024: 98%)

• By the end of 2025, we already reached 99.7% of the rural population with 100 Mbit/s internet speed (4G/5G) (2024: 99.5%).

Actions

Intelligent power for a strong network

Continuously expanding network coverage: We are continuously developing our network infrastructure and technologies to ensure high-performance and future-proof service. To this end, we are constantly investing in the expansion of our 4G and 5G networks. By 2025, we had activated 5G at over 2,900 locations and significantly improved indoor coverage in metropolitan areas – through the installation of new base stations, the integration of additional network elements, and continuous network optimisation. At the same time, we are continuously driving the technological advancement from 4G to 5G and on to 6G, and modernising our network infrastructure.

Optimising network performance and climate with AI: AI allows us to improve network quality even with increasing data demand or in heavily frequented regions, while simultaneously optimising energy use. This can contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions (see Energy chapter):

• With our “Large Telco Model”, we want to further automate processes in network operations.

• Generative AI detects malfunctions more efficiently, coordinates technician deployments, and thus contributes to a more reliable customer experience.

• Digital twins can gradually enable fully automated network control, identify bottlenecks early and optimise processes in real time.

• AI models are currently achieving a high level of forecast accuracy. This allows us to manage investments efficiently and expand capacities where they deliver the greatest added value. Calculations that used to take weeks are now completed in minutes on a cloud platform.

• Learning systems predict peak loads and control antennas intelligently. This ensures more efficient resource utilisation.

Strengthening resilience and recovery: We implement automated monitoring systems and emergency processes to quickly detect and resolve outages. The goal is a recovery time of under 30 minutes for critical disruptions.

Reaching rural populations: We rely on cooperation with competitors – for example, we share passive and active infrastructure at selected locations (“Greyspot”) and jointly build new sites in areas without mobile network coverage (“Whitespot”). In this way, we make a targeted contribution to improving network coverage – even in remote regions.

For information on measures and programmes to enable participation in the digital world and promote digital skills, please see the chapter Digital skills.

Business value

“The more intelligent the network operates, the better it becomes – and customersbenefit from this.”

Intelligent solutions for our customers

With IoT, 5G, and intelligent network control, we create planning certainty for critical applications and IoT scenarios. Our network offers high bandwidth, low latency, and stable availability – supporting efficient resource utilisation, economic advantages, and future-proofing for campus networks, edge computing, and data-intensive processes. Our AI-powered network planning can identify bottlenecks early, manage them efficiently, and reduce operating costs. We ensure robust network operation designed for high stability and create the foundation for 5G campus networks and IoT solutions.

Next steps

Efficient and intelligent: the networks of the future

We aim to close the remaining coverage gaps and achieve near-complete 5G coverage in Germany. In parallel, we are expanding Open RAN in pilot regions – an open wireless access network that enables flexible and resource-efficient network architectures. Intelligent network control and AI-powered automation will further improve energy efficiency.