Press Release

by Bas Burger, CEO, International, BT

Today, we launch BT International, serving our multinational customers as a dedicated operation within BT Group with its own people, products and platforms.

It comes as our customers face unprecedented disruption across their markets driven by geopolitics, regulation and technology — with AI catalysing change faster than ever. We have designed BT International specifically to help our customers meet these challenges head on and anticipate future opportunities to thrive.

The way we do this centres on two highly scalable telco platforms designed for the age of multi-cloud and AI: Global Voice and Global Fabric, with security built in by design. We’ve channelled our investments into these cloud-centric global platforms and concentrated our expert teams where customers need them most.

From asset-light to platform-rich

We have evolved our ‘asset-light’ strategy for several years, designing our platforms to reflect the trends we see in customer traffic crossing our networks — from data flows to and between the big cloud providers to the emergence of hybrid cloud as a preferred model for many businesses. We see that AI has unpredictable impacts on our customers’ networks — from the lumpy, bulky training workloads of large language models (LLMs) powering GenAI to the low latency demands of conversational AI and augmented reality. These trends are set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving cyber security threat landscape and a fast-moving regulatory environment.

Telecoms gets its voice back

Our Global Voice platform enables businesses, governments and the people they engage with to communicate with each other effortlessly. We’re already world leading in the global voice services market, managing over 16 billion calls to customer call centres in over 70 countries every year. We’ve migrated these services onto a new SIP-powered, cloud focussed platform enabling voice to be carried across data networks. SIP has been around for a while but the fact that Global Managed Voice is both SIP-powered and cloud-focused means that it’s perfectly poised to unlock the full potential of integrating voice with AI.

Indeed, Gartner predicts that 30 per cent of Fortune 500 companies will offer customer service through only a single, AI-enabled channel by 2028. I believe our Global Voice platform is strongly positioned to enable this, backed by our experts who have delivered over 5,000 contact centres to over 2,000 customers around the world.

Wrapping the world in Global Fabric

Next, we have Global Fabric, our brand-new, AI-ready, cloud-centric network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform. This offers customers instant, secure and resilient connectivity to practically every app or digital service they want, including the world’s top cloud and software-as-a-service  (SaaS) providers. It launched to live customer traffic earlier this year and it is the platform that will help us achieve our goal to be the world’s number one provider of secure multi-cloud connectivity.

Global Fabric could have hardly arrived at a better time. We were one of the first telcos off the starting blocks with a truly greenfield international platform to eliminate the drag that the previous generation of networks had on customer innovation. With traditional networks, setting up or making changes to connectivity for a new or existing app, including AI, could take days or weeks. With Global Fabric, it happens in an instant.

Now think of the increasingly complex international regulatory environment. Technology and data have become geopolitical pawns. That means customers must double down on sovereignty, ensuring the right data stays within the right jurisdiction while enabling them to unlock its value to the business. With Global Fabric, customers can choose both the cloud destinations their data goes to and the route it takes along the way. This means regulated data never leaves the designated national borders and helps customers stay compliant.

Sharing a platform for success

Looking to the future of our industry, we believe international networks will gravitate towards fewer, larger, telco platforms able to manage the demand generated by increased cloud and AI services. We invite other service providers to work with BT International, as we build out our ecosystem of partners, including our recently announced partnership with Google Cloud, and scale fast so we can, as an industry, offer the best value to customers across the globe.

We’re at a pivotal moment as an industry. It is an opportunity to move away from fragmented legacy international networks to a platform designed with the reality of AI, cyber and cloud at its core, reflecting customers’ expectations of speed, security, sustainability, sovereignty and naturally the skills to support future growth and prosperity.

Join us at Connected Britain, 24-25 September in London. Tickets available here  

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SWR deploys Europe’s first ’Rail-5G’ Wi-Fi  
BT accelerates fibre rollout amid cost cuts
AT&T agrees $5.75 billion deal for Lumen’s consumer fibre assets

Interview 

BT’s Head of Environmental Sustainability Gabrielle Ginér explains how the Joint Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility (JAC) is helping telcos tackle sustainability issues collectively 

As the telecoms sector sets its sights on net zero, it faces a major challenge to reduce emissions from the global supply chain. For most operators, Scope 3 emissions (those generated outside of their direct operations) account for much of their carbon footprint, and it is a problem they cannot solve in isolation. 

This is where the Joint Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility (JAC) comes in. 

“JAC is a not-for-profit association of telecom operators dedicated to developing Corporate Social Responsibility across the Information and Communication Technology supply chain,” explains Gabrielle Ginér, Head of Environmental Sustainability at BT and a board member of JAC. “JAC verifies, assesses and implements CSR while sharing resources and best practice to develop long-term supply chain sustainability.” 

With over 30 members and growing, including industry giants like AT&T, BT, Vodafone, and Singtel, the JAC represents a large portion of the telecoms market, and its influence is expanding in both scope and ambition. 

A shifting focus 

The JAC was founded in 2010 by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Telecom Italia to promote basic CSR principles, but members’ priorities have quickly evolved. The alliance has expanded to also focused on three emerging areas: climate change, supply chain due diligence, and circularity. 

To support these goals, JAC has created dedicated working groups. One is focused on accelerating progress toward net zero by helping members reduce Scope 3 emissions. Another is addressing human rights risks across global supply chains through collaborative due diligence. A third, more recently established, group is working on circularity, exploring how telcos can reduce waste by reusing components from network equipment and consumer devices. 

“Most of JAC’s members either have circularity targets in place or plan to set them in the next three years,” Ginér explains. “The top three motivations for pursuing re-use and recycling are carbon reduction, waste reduction, and regulatory compliance.” 

Sustainability down the supply chain 

While collaboration between telcos is important, JAC’s impact depends on execution, and that means working directly with suppliers. The body’s Supplier Engagement Programme (SEP) uses data to assess more than 900 suppliers on their environmental maturity, offering tailored support to help them improve. 

In parallel, the Carbon Reduction Programme (CRP) focuses on around 50 high-impact suppliers. These are the companies whose products and services contribute most significantly to telecom operators’ Scope 3 emissions. Suppliers are asked to disclose product-level carbon footprints and to provide clear, time-bound reduction plans. 

A standout example of this work involves BT, Ericsson and the electronics manufacturer Flex.  

“Ericsson worked with one of its suppliers, Flex, that switched to 100% renewable electricity for its factory in Tczew, Poland,” Ginér explains. “Of the 1.1 million products Flex produced for Ericsson in Poland, 1,401 baseband units were shipped by Ericsson to BT Group. As Flex switched to renewable energy at its Tczew site, Flex and Ericsson estimated an 11k-tonne reduction in Flex’s Scope 2 carbon emissions dedicated to Ericsson for 2022, which translates to a 14-tonne reduction in embodied carbon emissions for the 1,401 baseband units shipped to BT Group.” 

“It may seem like a small improvement,” she adds, “but these types of actions are necessary in the journey towards net zero and set a precedent for how these types of collaborations can be scaled in value chains.” 

Sustainability at BT 

BT is also progressing with its own sustainability agenda, both operationally and within its supply chain. It aims to get to net zero by 2031 within its own operations, and in its wider supply chain by 2041. The company is rolling out more energy-efficient fixed and mobile networks, phasing out legacy infrastructure, and consolidating real estate to reduce emissions from buildings. Last year, it recovered 1,750 tonnes of network equipment and reused 1,548 items in its network. 

“We switch off the energy-intensive 3G network in 2024 which saved over 60 GWh,” Ginér notes. “When older networks are switched off, we recover the network equipment so it can be reused or recycled.” In October last year, it secured £105m from recycler EMR (European Metal Recycling) for its surplus copper networks. The income stream is significant, even after the costs of extracting and processing the cabling. 

The company is also transitioning its fleet to electric and zero-emission vehicles, with over 5,500 electric vehicles already in use. It placed its largest ever order of 3,500 EVs in January this year. “We’re working hard and investing to convert the majority of this fleet to electric or zero-emission vehicles by the end of FY31 – where that’s the best technical or economic solution.” 

Supplier expectations have also been formalised. ESG-related topics now carry a 20% weighting in BT’s supplier assessments, and environmental criteria are embedded into onboarding.  

“Today, suppliers representing more than 65% of our supply chain emissions are reporting to CDP,” says Ginér. CDP stands for the Carbon Disclosure Project, a platform where companies report environmental data such as carbon emissions, to promote transparency and accountability. 

The next steps 

As telecom operators face mounting pressure to decarbonise, improve transparency, and reduce waste, the need for collective action only intensifies. 

“The sector is doing quite well,” says Ginér, “but of course there is always more to be done, especially in tackling Scope 3 emissions.” 

With most JAC members now committed to science-based or net zero targets, and an increasing number taking action on circularity and due diligence, the foundations are in place. The next challenge is scale, ensuring that pilot programmes and successful supplier partnerships become standard practice across the global telecom ecosystem. 

Also in Feature Week:

UK data centre expansion sparks net zero concerns 

Published by The Sunday Times in partnership with workplace engagement platform WorkL, the annual list acknowledges businesses in the UK that exhibit exemplary inclusion, wellbeing support, and satisfaction among staff members. With more than 500 companies evaluated, Altnets is unique not just for its industry but also for its scale, values, and culture.

Founded in 2020 with just three employees and no permanent workplace, Altnets today employs 17 individuals and runs from a state-of-the-art office overlooking Brighton Marina. In addition to being an established leader in telecommunications, the business is regarded by its staff as one of the most fulfilling and content workplaces.

Co-Founder and Director Sam Bangle commented, “This award reflects the outstanding team spirit we’ve built at Altnets.

“What makes us unique is the passion, creativity, and focus our employees bring to their jobs. Without them, Altnets wouldn’t be the business it is today.”

From servicing 33 clients in 2021 to over 100 by 2024, Altnets has expanded rapidly, but its ultimate objective remains unchanged: to connect communities digitally across the country, while cultivating a thriving, people-first culture within its team.

With its comprehensive healthcare plans and insurance benefits, annual team-building excursions for the team, monthly social gatherings, and flexible work schedule designed to encourage a healthy work-life balance, Altnets is creating a working experience where staff members feel appreciated, encouraged, and seen.

“We’re more than a company that serves customers – we’re powered by our people,” Bangle added. “Our success demonstrates that, alongside our efforts to build digital connections throughout the UK, we are equally committed to maintaining a thriving and encouraging community here in Brighton.”

Altnets is one of only two Brighton-based companies to be named in the ‘Small Organisation’ category of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025 – and the only telecoms business of its size to be featured nationwide. This distinction demonstrates Altnets’ commitment to its employees and solidifies its standing as a leader in a field that isn’t frequently recognised for having an impressive workplace culture. While men largely dominate the telecoms sector, Altnets actively strives to diversify its workforce by recruiting more women than the industry average. Altnets strives to be regarded as one of Brighton’s best places to work, establishing a benchmark for small businesses across the UK.

The Sunday Times commented: “Recognition is the watchword at this Brighton telecoms company. Its 17 staff enjoy structured rewards, team-building and social events, including pizza days and charity skydives. There is also a commitment to personal development, with professional certifications and leadership coaching, and a wellness programme to ensure they care for themselves. They enjoy private healthcare, mental-health support and David Lloyd gym membership. Volunteering days allow people to give back to a cause they care about.”

Open communication, respect, and enjoyment are the foundations of the Altnets culture, reflected in schedule flexibility, opportunities for professional development, and regular after-work socials. The outcome is an unrivalled staff community and a place of employment staff genuinely enjoy being part of.

This recognition from The Sunday Times is more than simply an award – it’s an endorsement of the uplifting, collaborative culture that each team member works to develop and sustain.

A Company to Watch in UK Telecoms

With demand for high-quality telecoms solutions continuing to grow, Altnets is proving that investing in people is not just the right thing to do — it’s a powerful business strategy. From driving digital infrastructure forward to setting a new cultural benchmark in the sector, Altnets is one to watch.

Whether you’re starting out or looking for your next step in the industry, Altnets is always keen to connect with passionate, driven individuals who want to be part of something special. To find your next career opportunity with an award-winning company, email: info@altnets.co.uk 

Startup Stories

Summarise your business in one sentence: 

A local, open-source hardware and software company building smart home and environmental sensors that prioritise privacy, performance, and community-driven innovation.  

Introduce your startup: 

Apollo Automation designs and manufactures smart IoT sensors for home automation, including motion, air quality, and plant health monitoring devices. Our sensors are open-source, fully local (no cloud required), and integrate seamlessly with platforms like Home Assistant and Homey. We aim to make reliable, privacy-respecting smart home technology accessible to everyone while keeping production and innovation rooted in the USA. 

What was your inspiration for founding the company? 

We started Apollo out of frustration with the lack of high-quality, transparent, and locally made sensors on the market. What began as a weekend hobby project quickly gained traction in the open-source community. After seeing the response, we decided to take the leap full time and build a company focused on doing things differently. 

Tell us about your business’s journey so far. What have been the biggest challenges and biggest successes? 

Apollo began in a small workshop in Kentucky in 2023 and has since grown into a full-fledged operation with multiple product lines and a global customer base. Our biggest challenge has been scaling manufacturing while staying local and transparent. Our biggest success has been building a passionate community of users and contributors who genuinely care about our mission and help shape our products.

What does the future hold for your business? Where do you see the company a year from now? 

We’re continuing to grow our product lineup and expand into commercial and industrial sensing. In a year, we see Apollo Automation as a recognised name in privacy-first smart sensors and a trusted partner for integrators and builders looking for flexible and local alternatives to cloud-dependent solutions. 

What are you most looking forward to about exhibiting at Broadband Communities Summit? 

We’re excited to connect with others who are building the future of connected spaces. We look forward to sharing what we’ve built, learning from other innovators, and exploring opportunities to bring our sensors into broader commercial and residential use cases. 

HQ location: Versailles, Kentucky, USA 

Number of employees: 6 (4 full-time, 2 part-time) 

Funding situation: Bootstrapped 

URL: https://apolloautomation.com 

Founders: Justin Bunton, Trevor Schirmer 

LinkedIn Address: https://www.linkedin.com/company/102172757 

As part of the new contract, MLL will also continue to enhance Fife Council’s connections at 150 schools. An immediate focus is the provision of a secure and resilient cloud-based connectivity service to support the Council’s ‘Transforming Learning’ initiative which involves the roll out of around 36,000 iPad computers to schools from now through March 2026.

The iPads and school infrastructure represent a £50million commitment over the next 10 years from Fife Council’s capital and revenue budgets. The digital learning and inclusion initiative will ensure all primary and high school students from P6 through to S7 receive an iPad which can be used in school as well as remotely.    

Additionally, MLL will continue to cost-effectively upgrade Fife Council’s MPLS network with the implementation of fibre connections. Where possible, Fife will leverage the grants and funding for fibre connectivity available from Gigabit Scotland and the UK Government.      

Andrew Milne, Infrastructure Manager, Fife Council, said: “Over the years MLL has reliably provided network services to transition and transform our wide area network and we are confident they will continue to support its evolution and enable the services we wish to deliver in the future. Our Transforming Learning programme is a good example of our commitment to leveraging the network for delivering social value, ensuring school students from all backgrounds have access to secure digital devices when studying at school or at home.”   

Kirste Johnston, MLL’s Strategic Client Director for Scotland & Northern England, added: “We are proud to be continuing our long relationship with Fife Council and to be playing an important role in evolving the network to support digital learning and teaching in schools as well as future initiatives.” 

Fife Council’s WAN service is fully supported by MLL’s centralised Network Operations Centre based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire and regional team in Scotland, including Client Management, Technical Consultancy, Project Management, Service Management and local Field Engineers.

News 

The company insists it will not follow rivals like Verizon in scrapping DEI policies to gain regulatory approval for deals 

Following AT&T’s $5.75 billion deal to acquire Lumen Technologies’ fibre assets, CEO John Stankey has emphasised the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), even as political and regulatory hurdles have pushed rivals in the opposite direction. 

“We don’t have to roll back anything,” Stankey said, speaking to Yahoo Finance. “Our policies and our approach at AT&T have always been that we progress people on merit. That any employee that comes to work here should have an opportunity to grow their career, work on building their skills, have an opportunity to succeed and earn a living.”  

His comments contrast with moves made by competitors to forego DEI frameworks in order to appease regulators.  

Earlier this month, Verizon received FCC approval for its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, but only after agreeing to dismantle its DEI programme. In a letter to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, Verizon said it would remove diversity targets from hiring plans and strip DEI language from training and public messaging. 

 These changes that will also apply to Frontier once the deal closes. 

The move reflects a wider crackdown on corporate DEI initiatives in the US, with firms like Meta, Amazon, and Google also scaling back internal efforts to align with the Trump administration. 

Stankey acknowledged the political backdrop, but said he remains confident AT&T’s inclusive approach will stand up to regulatory scrutiny. “We run the business in a really responsible manner,” he said. 

The Lumen acquisition is expected to close early next year 2026, pending regulatory approval. 

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter     

Also in the news:
AT&T agrees $5.75 billion deal for Lumen’s consumer fibre assets
Telefónica exits Uruguay in $440m Millicom deal
“You’re not keeping your word”: Louisiana fibre firm rails against Trump govt over BEAD delay

London, UK. May 22, 2025. Adtran and Netomnia today announced a major milestone in the evolution of the UK’s broadband market with the first-ever commercial deployment of a 50G PON service. Netomnia is using Adtran’s SDX 6400 Series to upgrade an existing residential customer with an ultra-high-speed service. The deployment is the first of its kind in the UK and will provide real-world insight into how providers can leverage next-generation PON technology to meet growing demand for ultra-high-speed connectivity. The flexibility of Adtran’s SDX 6400 Series enabled Netomnia to easily deploy the service alongside existing PON technologies with no interruption.

“At Netomnia, we’re building a fibre network for whatever comes next — and with the UK’s first commercial 50G PON deployment, we’re proving it,” said Jeremy Chelot, Group CEO of Netomnia, YouFibre and brsk. “This isn’t just about speed; it’s about power. From AI-driven smart homes to lag-free metaverse experiences and tomorrow’s enterprise demands, we’re making sure the most powerful internet lives on our network. Partnering with Adtran, we’re redefining what fibre can deliver — no compromises, no limits, just the future delivered.”

Netomnia, the UK’s second-largest alternative network provider, now serves 2.4 million premises, with YouFibre and brsk connecting 310,000 customers. With an annual build rate of one million premises, the group is on track to reach five million serviceable premises by 2027. Together, Netomnia, YouFibre and brsk have secured £1.5 billion in funding, reinforcing their position as one of the UK’s most scalable and capital-efficient retail, wholesale and consolidation platforms.

The deployment uses Adtran’s SDX 6400 Series, a modular, software-defined OLT platform engineered for high-density environments and advanced service delivery. The solution enables providers to deliver ultra-high-capacity services while seamlessly coexisting with already deployed PON networks. The system’s disaggregated architecture supports open interfaces and network automation, while its energy-efficient, compact design helps operators meet sustainability goals. By delivering 50G PON rates over existing fibre infrastructure, the deployment demonstrates how 50G PON can support future residential services, enterprise access, mobile transport and emerging smart city applications.

“We committed to Netomnia in 2024 that they would be the first provider in the UK to deploy a commercial 50G PON solution. Today, we achieved that milestone, helping them deliver a live ultra-high-speed service to an existing customer,” commented Stuart Broome, GM of EMEA sales at Adtran. “The deployment demonstrates how our SDX 6400 Series empowers operators to scale capacity, accelerate service delivery and support next-generation applications, all while leveraging their existing infrastructure. As demand surges for bandwidth-intensive services like generative AI, 5G backhaul and enterprise connectivity, this project shows how we’re helping partners like Netomnia stay ahead of the curve.”

News 

Despite weaker sales abroad, BT’s leaner strategy is paying off, resulting in stronger margins 

BT has ramped up its full fibre rollout plans after hitting record build and connection highs during FY25, even as overall revenue declined 2% to £20.4 billion. 

Chief Executive Allison Kirkby described the year as one of “strong progress,” highlighting the group’s network buildout, customer experience improvements, and over £900 million in annualised cost savings.  

BT’s full fibre footprint now reaches 18 million UK premises, with more than 6.5 million already connected, a 36% take-up rate. Openreach passed 4.3 million new premises with full fibre this year, 1.8 million of which are already in use by customers. The company has now upped its FY26 build target by 20% to 5 million, keeping it on course to hit 25 million premises passed by the end of 2026. 

BT’s revenues fell slightly this year, driven by weaker handset sales and international performance, but profit before tax rose 12% to £1.3 billion.  

In mobile, EE retained its crown as the UK’s best network for the eleventh year running, with 5G standalone now live in 50 towns and cities and coverage reaching over 40% of the population. BT’s 5G customer base grew 15% to 13.2 million. 

“BT Group delivered strong progress against its strategic priorities in FY25, as we stepped up the pace of build of the UK’s leading next generation networks,” Kirkby in a company press release. 

“With the leadership team now in place to take our strategy forward, I am confident that as we build and connect at pace, our transformation will accelerate and deliver a better BT for all of us – our customers, our colleagues, the country and our owners,” she continued. 

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter    

Also in the news:
AT&T agrees $5.75 billion deal for Lumen’s consumer fibre assets
Telefónica exits Uruguay in $440m Millicom deal
“You’re not keeping your word”: Louisiana fibre firm rails against Trump govt over BEAD delay

Claremont, NC, May 21, 2025 – CommScope (NASDAQ: COMM), a global leader in network connectivity, and Emtelle, an industry leader in manufacturing blown cable, announced today a collaboration to manufacture hardened connectivity for blowable fiber optic drop cable. CommScope’s Prodigy® solution, which supports ubiquitous legacy hardened connectivity, will be combined with Emtelle’s blowable fiber optic micro-cable as the first offering of its kind in North America.

The combination of Emtelle’s REVOLink3™ cable, a versatile pre-connectorized 3-in-One drop cable, and CommScope’s Prodigy hardened connectivity technology creates a powerful solution for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments. It enables fast, cost-effective installation while delivering the quality and performance service providers expect. Through this agreement, Emtelle has the ability to manufacture drop cables pre-terminated with the Prodigy universal FTTH connector—adding a consistent, installation-friendly option to their portfolio that supports faster rollouts, reduced costs and flexible integration across diverse network environments.

Tony Rodgers, Emtelle Group Chief Executive, said, “Emtelle is renowned throughout the world for producing innovative, ground-breaking solutions that not only simplify the installation process but also set new standards in the passive network solutions industry. Our REVOLink3 is the perfect example of this: since its introduction it has been hailed as a major leap forward in telecommunications infrastructure technology. To that end, we are delighted to be collaborating with CommScope to combine REVOLink3 with their proven Prodigy solution. Together this new, unique hardened connectivity will set a new benchmark for FTTH deployment in the North American market.”

“We’ve always been proud of the innovative technology behind the Prodigy solution which allows it to service multiple types of terminals, and we’re now pleased to see it utilized with a pushable and blowable fiber solution,” noted John Chamberlain, VP Technology, Connectivity and Cable Solutions, CommScope. “We are excited to collaborate with Emtelle through this agreement. The interoperability, speed and simplicity provided with the Prodigy solution makes it an ideal option for the next generation for FTTH hardened connectivity and it’s great to work with Emtelle to extend its availability in the North American market.”

CommScope’s Prodigy hardened connector product line offers the flexibility to mate to any legacy fiber optic hardened connector. In addition, the Prodigy connector’s smaller footprint allows for smaller handholes and less visual impact, resulting in a more sustainable solution.

For additional information on the Prodigy universal connector platform, please visit the CommScope website.

News 

By joining the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) platform, the German operator looks to play a more active role in shaping how AI is developed and used across industry and public services 

IPAI is a growing initiative backed by the state of Baden-Württemberg, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, and a range of private and public partners. It is designed to bring together businesses, researchers, and policymakers to test and apply AI in real-world settings. Over 70 organisations are already involved, with the aim of building a European AI hub focused on responsible and practical deployment. 

Deutsche Telekom will contribute its experience in rolling out AI across network operations, customer service, and enterprise products. The company said its focus will be on supporting scalable and secure AI solutions that serve both business and public sector use cases. 

The IPAI campus in Heilbronn is currently under development and will eventually cover 30 hectares and support more than 5,000 workers. Facilities will include data centres, lab space, and collaborative work areas, with the first phase expected to open later this year. 

“AI reaches its full potential only when we collectively bring it into practice,” said Klaus Werner, Director Business Customers at Telekom Deutschland in a press release. “Europe needs to invest in AI now. That’s why initiatives like IPAI are essential: for the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe, enabling them to further expand their independence and drive innovation.” 

This partnership is the latest in a long line of AI collaborations for Deutsche Telekom. The operator was notably a founding member of the Global Telco AI Alliance in June last year, along with SK Telecom, e&, Singtel and SoftBank. The initiative aims to develop Large Language Models (LLMs) that are specifically designed to meet telco needs, in areas such as improving customer interactions via digital assistants and chatbots.  

The LLMs will be tailored to the needs of the five companies in their respective markets, allowing them to reach a combined customer base of around 1.3 billion people in 50 countries 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter  

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Building the UK’s digital infrastructure based on tomorrow’s needs
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