DT to Pay Out the Largest Dividend So Far

Following a record year, Deutsche Telekom is planning the highest dividend payment in the history of the company. The dividend is set to amount to 90 euro cents per share, an increase of almost 17 percent against the prior year.

“We want today’s records to be tomorrow’s standard,” said CEO Tim Höttges at the shareholders’ meeting in Bonn, which marked the Company’s 30th anniversary. “We are the backbone of digital society. Simply maintaining the status quo isn’t enough. We need change.” To this end, DT plans to use AI throughout the entire company and to exploit its global strength.

At the same time, Höttges emphasized the stability of DT. This is a “safe haven in turbulent times”. Telekom is not dependent on any one market. “If it slows down somewhere, we compensate for it somewhere else”. Höttges also emphasized the company's high cash flow and solid financing. Telekom is a global company but always produces locally. “That's why tariffs affect us less,” said Höttges.

With an eye to the future, he said: “We’re building the first network that becomes smarter the longer it runs. A network that repairs itself and detects problems before customers even notice them.” It will work everywhere by connecting different technologies like fiber, mobile communications, and satellites with each other. “A network of networks from the cloud managed using AI.”

Höttges argued that the build-out of mobile communications and optical fiber in Germany should be of “overriding public interest.” This would significantly accelerate approval processes. He also supports the initiative for an effective state initiated by the former Federal Minister of the Interior and Chairman of DT Stiftung, Thomas de Maizière, among others. The goal of this initiative is to make public administration more efficient.

In the United States, Höttges sees opportunities for further growth through the acquisition of the fiber-optic companies Metronet and Lumos in partnership with investors. The target in the US is for a good 12 to 15 million fiber-optic households by 2030. The CEO also pointed to the successes in service.

“The current buzzwords here are: Sovereignty. Independence. We have been offering for years what others just talk about: the sovereign cloud. The data remains in Europe. The operation of the technical solutions remains in Europe. And we also offer solutions from a wide range of providers, meaning you’re not dependent on single companies. This is also sovereignty,” said Höttges.

In the last financial year, DT generated a total revenue of €115.8 billion. That is 3.4 percent more than in the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA AL increased by 6.2 percent to €43.0 billion. At €19.2 billion, free cash flow was up 18.7 percent in the same period in the prior year. Adjusted net profit increased by 18.3 percent in 2024 to €9.4 billion.