Deutsche Telekom founds Municipal Advisory Board

• Deutsche Telekom founds municipal advisory council with representatives from cities and municipalities
• Panel advises on topics such as broadband expansion and 5G
• Action point from the 8-point program implemented

Deutsche Telekom today convened a first meeting of the newly founded municipal advisory council in Berlin. In the future, the committee will advise on issues relating to broadband expansion, 5G and other digitization topics. This means that an important action point from the 8-point program for the 5G expansion has been implemented. Tim Höttges, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG, presented the program in October 2018.

"Germany faces the major task of implementing digitization in business and administration. We at Deutsche Telekom see ourselves as having a special responsibility in this. Broadband expansion is the engine of digitization," said Tim Höttges in his welcome remarks. "But we can only achieve this together with the local authorities. I am very pleased that the members of the advisory board will advise us as we exchange views with the various interest groups. We see ourselves as partners of cities and municipalities".

An important goal of the advisory board is to accelerate digitization in Germany. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schuster, the advisory board is expected to provide important impulses to this end. Projects such as the expansion of the broadband networks and new digital services are in particular focus.

The municipal advisory council is the frame for the dialogue between municipalities and Deutsche Telekom. It is the future platform for discussing mutual ideas, interests and expectations and for developing solutions for specific problems. In addition, the committee may invite external experts to attend individual meetings as guests. The committee consists of 14 members from municipals and municipal umbrella organizations. Deutsche Telekom appoints the advisory board for an initial period of three years.

At the first meeting, Dirk Wössner, Member of the Board of Management Telekom, presented the future 5G and FTTH expansion strategy. "Together with the local authorities, we want to find ways to expand broadband quickly and unbureaucratically”. The event took place in the Telekom building in Winterfeldt-Straße. There, 5G applications will be presented in the newly designed 5G garage in the Berlin test field. The members of the advisory board saw for themselves the possibilities that 5G will offer in the future.