Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 26, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleDeutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hoettges criticized the EU’s Digital Networks Act as adding red tape. After Q4 results, he urged deregulation, noting the proposal extends spectrum rights but avoids mandatory network fees for Big Tech.
Feb 26 (Reuters) - Deutsche Telekom chief executive Timotheus Hoettges expressed dissatisfaction with how the European Union is handling the reform of telecommunication sector rules and called for more deregulation.
"We're seeing more and more red tape, more requirements," he said during a press conference after the publication of the company's fourth-quarter results.
Following several months of pressure from European telecom companies, the European Commission unveiled in January a major revamp of the sector rules known as the Digital Networks Act.
The proposal would allow operators to use radio spectrum for an unlimited duration, a move which would increase predictability and favour investments, the Commission said.
However, it did not meet the European operators' call for U.S. tech giants such as Google, Netflix and Meta to pay a network fee in light of their massive traffic, opting for a voluntary cooperation mechanism.
(Reporting by Emanuele Berro and Danny Callaghan, Editing by Friederike Heine)
Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hoettges criticizes the EU’s Digital Networks Act and calls for deregulation, arguing that current reforms add red tape rather than enabling investment.
It is a major overhaul of EU telecom rules that would allow operators to use radio spectrum for an unlimited duration to improve predictability and support investment.
No. Despite industry pressure, the proposal does not impose mandatory fees on companies like Google, Netflix, or Meta; it favors a voluntary cooperation mechanism instead.
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