I have often written here about Deutsche Telekom's business figures. And mostly it has been precisely about that: the figures. But today I would like to shine the spotlight on something else, even though our CEO has presented Deutsche Telekom's figures for the 2016 financial year in detail to journalists. But Tim Höttges did something else as well, something that you don't normally hear at the press conferences on the financial statements. He made a clear, passionate commitment to Europe.
And – if you'll allow me to express this personal view – he did it well! In these days, Europe needs people to fly the flag. And companies. And parties. And… but I don't want to bother you further with my opinion. I would just like to read you some excerpts from Tim Höttges' plea:
"Right now, digitization is a connecting force in Europe, not a dividing one. 2016 was a year that was more about what divides Europe, not what we share. Many people are calling Europe into question at the moment. We say we want to be the leading European telco. How does this fit together? (...) We are pro-Europe. "Life is for Sharing," that is our brand motto, that's what Deutsche Telekom' values stand for. We want to overcome borders. We don't want to build walls. We don't want hate or division, rather we want to share. We want to enable sharing through digitization. (…) March 25 marks the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Politically, they stand clearly for peace, prosperity, and for a Europe that is united across borders. At the Mobile World Congress, the 5G technology was the connecting issue. It makes no sense to build up this technology if it doesn't work at the borders (…). Self-driving cars won't stop at the border. (…) We will not abandon Europe to the populists!”
A strong statement by Tim Höttges.
Details on Deutsche Telekom's business figures can be found in the media kit.
