Deutsche Telekom Launches Mass Market Broadband Initiative

One day after announcing that it had topped the 4 million DSL subscriber milestone, Deutsche Telekom launched a new initiative to drive the technology as a mass-market phenomenon in Germany by attracting at least ten million T-DSL customers by 2007. The company will offer T-DSL service tiers at 1, 2, and 3 Mbps. It will also expand T-DSL infrastructure coverage in rural areas.


A key part of the initiative is to kick-start an "innovation drive," which will include pooling a considerable proportion of its research and development activities with the Technische Universität (TU) Berlin and its partner universities. To this end, Deutsche Telekom will build its own R&D institute on the campus of TU Berlin. The institute will host around 25 top Deutsche Telekom researchers as well as approximately 50 scientists from leading universities worldwide.


Deutsche Telekom is also examining the possibility of establishing joint research and development projects with France Telecom. The carriers are contemplating new collaborative efforts on both a national and European level.


Kai-Uwe Ricke, Deutsche Telekom's Chairman, said "I am very pleased that we have renewed the dialog between France Télécom and Deutsche Telekom."


Deutsche Telekom also said it welcomes greater commitment to the broadband market by other companies, such as cable network operators. Deutsche Telekom is currently reviewing its terms and conditions for line sharing and, with its new "Bitstream Access" offer, will be introducing further upstream products to stimulate the broadband market and give competitors direct and risk-free access to customers on the basis of T-DSL lines. http://www.telekom.de