Deutsche Telekom is committed to change to position itself as leader in broadband, said René Obermann, Chairman of the Deutsche Telekom Board of Management, speaking at the company's shareholders' meeting in Cologne.
Looking back on 2006, René Obermann described the past financial year as difficult: "Competition, especially in relation to pricing in the fixed network business, reached a degree of intensity during the year that even caught industry experts by surprise."
Looking forward, Obermann said the company would pursue a "focus, fix and grow" strategy based four central initiatives:
- Deutsche Telekom must considerably improve its competitive position in Germany. The home market continues to be the core market with a share of over 50 percent of revenues.
- Internationally, the Group aims to grow by focusing on Mobile Communications.
- Mobile Internet and Web 2.0 trends must be leveraged to generate new growth.
- In the enterprise segment, Deutsche Telekom is seeking a strong partner in order to make the business more successful thanks to a broader international presence and economies of scale.
Additionally, Deutsche Telekom has started divesting non-core strategic assets. This process is already under way in parts of its real-estate business. Deutsche Telekom is currently holding exclusive talks with France's Neuf Cegetel on the sale of Club Internet. This transaction is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2007.hrrp://www.telekom.de
