Deutsche Telekom said on Monday it expects to save around €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion) in indirect costs by 2030 compared with 2023, as Germany's biggest telecommunications group expands its use of artificial intelligence and automation.
"AI detects peak traffic on the cellular network earlier, supports customer service representatives, and thus helps resolve issues immediately," the company said in a statement.
The carrier's numbers put a concrete price tag on the AI transition now sweeping European telecoms. In 2027 alone, AI and automation are estimated to generate gross savings of about €1.1 billion outside the United States compared with 2023 levels.
Savings to be reinvested at home
Deutsche Telekom said it intends to partly plough those 2027 savings back into Germany's digital infrastructure and fibre-optic network — a politically resonant promise at a time when Berlin is pushing hard to close the country's fibre gap.
The company also sees a "major business opportunity" in Europe's goal of developing sovereign AI — the continent's bid to build AI capacity independent of American and Chinese technology stacks. AI-related revenue from its business with companies outside the US is targeted at around €800 million by 2030.
Targets confirmed
Alongside the AI outlook, Deutsche Telekom confirmed its 2026 outlook and its medium-term targets, signalling confidence that the efficiency drive will not come at the expense of growth.
The announcement adds Deutsche Telekom to a growing list of European incumbents quantifying the financial upside of automation — and betting that some of the most valuable AI use cases are in the unglamorous plumbing of running a network rather than consumer-facing products.
Sources: Reuters: Deutsche Telekom sees €2.5 billion in savings from AI, automation by 2030
"AI detects peak traffic on the cellular network earlier, supports customer service representatives, and thus helps resolve issues immediately," the company said in a statement.
The carrier's numbers put a concrete price tag on the AI transition now sweeping European telecoms. In 2027 alone, AI and automation are estimated to generate gross savings of about €1.1 billion outside the United States compared with 2023 levels.
Savings to be reinvested at home
Deutsche Telekom said it intends to partly plough those 2027 savings back into Germany's digital infrastructure and fibre-optic network — a politically resonant promise at a time when Berlin is pushing hard to close the country's fibre gap.
The company also sees a "major business opportunity" in Europe's goal of developing sovereign AI — the continent's bid to build AI capacity independent of American and Chinese technology stacks. AI-related revenue from its business with companies outside the US is targeted at around €800 million by 2030.
Targets confirmed
Alongside the AI outlook, Deutsche Telekom confirmed its 2026 outlook and its medium-term targets, signalling confidence that the efficiency drive will not come at the expense of growth.
The announcement adds Deutsche Telekom to a growing list of European incumbents quantifying the financial upside of automation — and betting that some of the most valuable AI use cases are in the unglamorous plumbing of running a network rather than consumer-facing products.
Sources: Reuters: Deutsche Telekom sees €2.5 billion in savings from AI, automation by 2030
