Our prices will not explode
Telekom is not exactly known as a cheap provider. If CEO Timotheus Höttges has his way, the image of the Bonn company could change. He does not want to be one of the drivers of inflation with the group. But the manager also has sharp criticism in his luggage.
No price plus at Telekom: Höttges gives customers hope
Telekom boss Timotheus Höttges has a treat ready for customers: the top manager sees his personal world view under pressure in the multitude of different crises, but does not want to pass on the business challenges to consumers. “Telecom prices will not explode. We are not an inflation driver. Rather, our prices remain stable. We want to combine quality with good prices,” explains Höttges in an interview with the Augsburg General.
The fact that the provider based in Bonn can also keep the promise would be shown by the new mobile tariffs. However, Höttges is not limited to this business area. Fixed network, Internet or TV customers can therefore rely on the announcement. That higher prices that rise less, can prove to be the better way, as some primary care providers showed at the beginning of the year.
In an interview, however, Höttges has more good news for mobile phone customers: Telekom’s goal is to close all dead spots along the German rail network by 2026 and to enable continuous coverage during journeys with Deutsche Bahn. The 1,500 new cell phone antennas will be increased to 2,000 per year.
Höttges shares: Germany must take sharp criticism
While Höttges sees Telekom as well equipped for this, he gives Germany an indictment as a business location: “Due to our great prosperity, a certain arrogance has crept in here. Yet the label ‘Made in Germany’ is crumbling everywhere”, according to the CEO. Greece is lagging behind when it comes to the digitization of public services, and other countries hardly have comparable problems at airports, he continues.
With a balcony power plant, the price increase for electricity can be significantly cushioned:
The Telekom boss does not see Germany as defeated: “We have become self-righteous. We have to put our finger back on the wound and live up to the claim of being leaders in what we do. Then success cannot be avoided. Innovation and investment are the keys.” He sees it as a mistake to dismiss diligence and discipline as Prussian virtues.
