Internet applications didn’t exist yet

Hans Martin Adler, a programmer from the early days, reminisces about the beginnings of digitalization and the pre-internet era.

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The entire world in a state of emergency

Virus pandemics, long-running conflicts, economic turmoil, natural disasters and the like all remind us that no one is immune to crises. Some crises arise suddenly and unexpectedly, while others, such as climate change, develop over time. We humans have always sought to prepare for possible emergencies and to make life “crisis proof” – are we now, in the digital age, better prepared for such events than generations before us were?

Always informed

50 years ago, it was already possible to read a newspaper in the morning, watch TV news in the evening, and listen to the radio during the rest of the day. But there was no internet. Today, the internet gives us access to a vast range of news sources 24/7. Breaking news spreads like wildfire on social media and we have apps that warn us immediately of any disaster.

However, all kinds of storytellers are also active online, peddling their fairytales, distorting facts, and dishing up brazen lies – sometimes so skillfully that their deception becomes difficult to spot.

School at the kitchen table

50 years ago, month-long school closures would have meant month-long breaks in learning for most children. Today, teachers can teach and tutor their students online. Parents helping their children with their schoolwork can bone up online for that if they need to. And they can do so free of any constraints of place or time – and in tune with their own individual schedules and pace.

For online learning to be successful, however, children need the right equipment, a quiet environment at home that is conducive to learning, and parents who can provide the necessary help. Children who don’t have an environment of this kind run the risk of falling behind

Still up and running

What happens when employees can’t come into the office? That can quickly prove disastrous for companies. Thanks to digitalization, however, it is now possible to do many jobs working from home.

In both office and home settings, data connections can come under attack from fraudsters or cybercriminals. Email phishing is a widely used tactic for gaining access to sensitive information and data. Thoughtlessly opened phishing emails can cripple entire company networks.

Just a click away

50 years ago, when people needed new shoes, they had to go to a shoe store. And if the shoe store was closed, they couldn’t get any new shoes. Nowadays, virtually all products – including clothing, furniture, and food – can be ordered online for home delivery, and internet business is booming.

But what would happen if a disaster made our roads impassable? We can do without a pair of new shoes or even toilet paper, but we can survive only four days without water and only a maximum of three weeks without food. For a long time, many people had no need to stockpile supplies, but that is now changing again.

**Shop local**
People who like to have bustling downtown areas to stroll through should start thinking more carefully about what companies they order from online. This is something that consumers are becoming more aware of. In a survey conducted in Germany by the Bitkom digital association in 2020, three-quarters of all respondents indicated that, when shopping online, they are now increasingly seeking to support retailers located within their own regions.

Organizing help

When lakes and rivers flood, and entire communities are cut off from the outside world, responders need to act fast. During the major floods of 2021 in central Europe, volunteer helpers turned out in droves and worked tirelessly. They used social networks to organize themselves and provided support incredibly fast.

In a crisis, people need reliable information. Unfortunately, even in such extreme situations, some people try to mislead helpers by deliberately providing false information online.

Slowing climate change

For over 50 years now, we have known that human-caused greenhouse emissions can threaten the world’s climate. Although news media have given this issue a great deal of attention, a great many people are still doing – nothing. And yet each of us can help protect the climate. For example, we can communicate online to organize lending and borrowing of household tools, such as power drills and lawn mowers. When people lend and borrow products, instead of owning them, fewer products need to be produced. That conserves valuable raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions from production and transport.

On the other hand, the internet also uses energy. According to a study by a think tank called “The Shift Project” from 2019, if it were a country, it would rank sixth internationally in terms of energy consumption. Consequently, network technology needs to be energy efficient, and it needs to be powered by climate-neutral renewable energies. We at Deutsche Telekom have set clear goals in this area. Already, our customers are surfing on Deutsche Telekom’s green network – and that applies across the entire Group.

Play a little

Sports and recreation are good for us, and they can help calm our fears and anxieties – both in general and during a crisis. Streaming services now offer an endless variety of entertainment, and e-readers can hold entire libraries of books. Thanks to online fitness trainers, your living room can double as a gym. You can also go online to visit museums and to watch theater performances and concerts.

MagentaMusik 360

The MagentaMusik 360 streaming platform provides music fans with free music content, including live streaming of concerts and festivals, to help them pass the time. HD image quality and 360° views ensure an immersive music experience and allow viewers to stand on stage right next to the artists or in the heart of the audience. Most concerts can be streamed on demand just a few days after the event and are available for up to 12 months.

Closeness in spite of distance

50 years ago, when you wanted to talk to friends and loved ones who happened to be someplace else, you called them on the phone. If you wanted to see them, you had to go to where they were. Today, videoconferencing apps on our smartphones and other devices keep us in constant visual touch with family and friends – even across large distances. We can cultivate friendships across entire continents, even with people we have never met in person. And when people get separated by wars or natural disasters, smartphones give them a way – often, the only way – to stay connected. Not surprisingly, people who are fleeing from trouble guard their smartphones as their most prized possessions.

There are so many kinds of personal closeness that the internet cannot replace. Online, you can’t hug people, share the euphoria at a concert, move on a crowded dance floor, cuddle with someone during a movie, comfort an anxious person, dry someone’s tears, or hold a dying person’s hand ...

We help wherever we can

In spring 2022, we responded quickly to Russia’s attack on Ukraine and initiated emergency aid services for refugees throughout Europe. We distributed a total of over 1.5 million free SIM cards. What’s more, all calls and text messages to and from Ukraine were also free until midway through 2022. We equipped refugee accommodation with broadband connections and routers, and we helped aid organizations set up call centers to provide refugees with all the advice they required.

Our employees also demonstrated a great sense of solidarity with Ukrainian refugees. Many hundred Deutsche Telekom staff joined forces and coordinated the aid. In addition to this, our donations are supporting aid measures in Ukraine. For example, we have donated one million euros to the German Red Cross (DRK).

In numerous European countries, we have offered refugees jobs, also assisting these new staff with tasks such as organizing somewhere to live, opening a bank account, and arranging childcare. We did not continue our development activities in Russia in the reporting year, so we offered our team of software developers in St. Petersburg the option of working outside Russia.

We at Deutsche Telekom want everyone to be able to take part, even in a crisis – that is our promise and that is what we are committed to.

Online shopping, and working and learning at home, can make our everyday lives easier in times of crisis. Online entertainment and social networks offer us welcome distraction and help us cultivate community. We at Deutsche Telekom want everyone to be able to take part, even in a crisis – that is our promise and that is what we are committed to. And we are convinced that digital innovations can make our society more resilient in the face of crises. But innovations don’t simply succeed by themselves. As technology plays a greater and greater role in our lives, we have to make sure that it will continue to work smoothly, even in crisis situations. In our case, the basis for reliable technology consists of stable, secure networks.

Stable network

Over the past few years, we have invested billions in our network expansion, and we continue to expand and upgrade our network. These investments have paid off – during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example – keeping our networks running reliably despite high levels of usage.

Ready at all times

Hurricanes and torrential rainstorms are becoming more and more common as climate change progresses. In addition to flooding cellars and uprooting trees, such weather events also damage Deutsche Telekom’s infrastructure. They can force water into underground cables and sever above-ground lines. If phone and internet services are crippled, a Deutsche Telekom team of experts meets within 15 minutes and takes immediate measures. With mobile cell towers, and specially equipped trucks, we can quickly set up temporary mobile networks. We can even replace entire exchanges within 48 hours.

Especially in an emergency situation, communication is vital for everyone who is affected – to organize aid, to network, and to contact friends and family. During the catastrophic flooding in 2021, our staff excelled themselves, taking some 13,000 power banks, emergency cell phones complete with SIM cards, quick-start internet packages, routers, and other technical devices to people in the flood areas. After a week, the mobile network was completely back to normal again.

By the end of 2021, some 97 percent of fixed-network connections were once again fully functional. While all this was happening, we also pressed ahead with the expansion of our fiber-optic network. Our technicians set up interim solutions to connect people to the network while rebuilding work was being completed.

Our national companies, too, are always ready to respond to critical situations. In the United States, for example, T-Mobile US takes preventive measures to ensure that networks stay up and running during the hurricane season. Such measures include regular crisis drills, upgrades of mobile network stations, and provision of information to help people prepare for forecast storms. Emergency teams are on standby 24/7 to ensure a fast and flexible response to any interruptions in service. In addition, T-Mobile US supports people in affected regions with key emergency equipment, as necessary. In 2022, after hurricane Ian, aid teams provided residents in Florida with chargers, among other things, plus unlimited data and free calls and texts.

© divirodApp to warn against floods
Extreme weather is becoming increasingly common, with serious consequences for people and the environment. It causes flooding, storms, and rising sea levels. Data and information are required to issue flood warnings in good time. Conventional methods for measuring water levels are often manual and can be inaccurate. They are also costly, require a great deal of maintenance, are susceptible to environmental influences, and produce measurements that are unreliable. In collaboration with divirod, Deutsche Telekom offers a digital solution for evaluating water-related data This fully automated solution monitors water levels in reservoirs and rivers. It also issues warnings in the event of high tides or accumulations of snow and ice on roofs and roads. It provides the responsible authorities with real-time data around the clock.

We’re there for our employees

We give our employees room to grow personally and professionally and to make a positive contribution to our company and society through their work. To that end, for example, we support them with comprehensive education and training programs, help them stay in good health, and offer them options for enhancing their work-life balance. And, needless to say, we are also there for them in times of crisis.

In 2022, we offered professional counseling to our international staff who are under extreme pressure due to the war of aggression on Ukraine – either because they live close to the border or because they have family members who are affected.

In 2021, Deutsche Telekom staff were among those personally affected by the catastrophic flooding. The support they received included financial aid from the Post Postbank Telekom Welfare Service and the Deutsche Telekom Social Fund. Staff who were affected by the flooding or volunteered their help were given up to five days of paid leave. We also offered them expert psychosocial counseling via the “SPRECHZEIT” hotline that forms part of our health program.

**Cut off from the outside world**
Having network access can be critically important during a crisis. In Germany alone, some 6,000 Deutsche Telekom service engineers make service visits to customers whenever necessary.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, we provided over 80,000 employees in Germany and 180,000 around the world with solutions for working from home – all within just a few days. Thanks to our comprehensive hygiene concept, our service technicians were well protected – even during the pandemic – as they connected services, laid cables, and erected cell towers. Up till the end of March 2022, we offered our staff in Germany the opportunity to get vaccinated against coronavirus. And in 2021, employees in Romania were given a day off to get their COVID‑19 jabs.

In emergency situations, our Group Situation Center’s hotline is available 24/7 to answer any questions our employees in Germany might have. The Situation Center addresses all security-relevant incidents, and it coordinates and monitors measures in response to acute threats. The national companies worldwide maintain similar points of contact for their staff.

Staying secure online

As more and more aspects of our everyday lives move online, data protection becomes more and more important. For example, fraudsters often masquerade as government agencies in order to spread viruses through the network via email or to gain access to personal data. Therefore, caution is advised: always carefully scrutinize email attachments before opening them, and never thoughtlessly disclose personal data.

Data protection and data security have top priority for Deutsche Telekom, crisis or no crisis. We protect our customers’ data with a comprehensive range of measures. Deutsche Telekom’s Cyber Defense and Security Operation Center (SOC) in Bonn analyzes security-relevant data around the clock and efficiently combats cyberattacks. It is the largest such center in Europe. Deutsche Telekom has similar SOCs worldwide, and they are all linked together. With a total of 200 experts, these centers combat attacks 24/7. We offer a wide range of security solutions for consumers and businesses. And we help our customers protect themselves.

**Targeting home offices**
Our “Business Network Protect” product protects small businesses against cyberattacks. Combining a Wi-Fi router and a smart firewall in one device, it protects against attacks from cyberspace – and it is also suitable for employees working from home.

Protecting the climate protects against crises

According to experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the number of natural disasters such as storms, floods, and fires will continue to increase in the coming years due to climate change. We humans are responsible for the majority of the global warming that has occurred over the past 50 years. And it is up to us to mitigate the impacts of climate change by making our lifestyles more sustainable.

The coronavirus pandemic showed us how quickly we can adapt to new situations. The measures taken around the world to combat the pandemic also quickly led to significant decreases in carbon emissions. We saw dramatic improvements in our cities’ air quality, and our skies became clearer and our roads quieter. To some extent, these things also happened because many areas of our lives shifted online. Although the effects didn’t last for long, we can learn from these experiences how to lead more climate friendly lives in the future, too.

At Deutsche Telekom, climate protection continues to have high priority, and it is an integral part of our company strategy. We have set clear goals in this area – our customers are already surfing on Deutsche Telekom’s green network.

App to warn against floods

Extreme weather is becoming increasingly common, with serious consequences for people and the environment. It causes flooding, storms, and rising sea levels. Data and information are required to issue flood warnings in good time. Conventional methods for measuring water levels are often manual and can be inaccurate. They are also costly, require a great deal of maintenance, are susceptible to environmental influences, and produce measurements that are unreliable. In collaboration with divirod, Deutsche Telekom offers a digital solution for evaluating water-related data This fully automated solution monitors water levels in reservoirs and rivers. It also issues warnings in the event of high tides or accumulations of snow and ice on roofs and roads. It provides the responsible authorities with real-time data around the clock.