Thought Leadership
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Tim Höttges advocates a radical reduction in bureaucracy based on the US model and speaks out in favor of a European counterpart to the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).
The European telecommunications industry is under pressure, and Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, is venting his anger at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. In a speech on Monday, he called for a European equivalent of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) based on the US model.
DOGE is an initiative of the Trump administration that was implemented after he took office in January 2025. It is led by Elon Musk. The aim of DOGE is to massively reduce bureaucracy and administrative costs in US federal agencies. The initiative is not technically an official government agency, but has nevertheless been given far-reaching powers to cut spending in various departments, including defense, education and energy
“What Europe needs is a DOGE,” explained Höttges to the specialist audience. “We need an initiative that reduces bureaucracy and administration, because there are tens of thousands of people who are just busy regulating our industries.”
Regulatory thicket hinders innovation
The Deutsche Telekom CEO lamented the fragmentation of the European market and the large number of regulatory authorities with which his company is confronted. By his own count, Deutsche Telekom has to interact with around 270 different supervisory authorities – from media authorities to cyber security and data protection authorities.
According to Höttges, this regulatory complexity is a major reason why Europe is falling behind competitors such as the USA and China when it comes to key technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G networks.
Consolidation of the market required
As at previous MWC events, the telecommunications companies once again called for the removal of barriers to market consolidation in the industry. “There is no reason why every market has to work with three or four operators,” said Höttges. “We should build a single European market.”
Demand for participation of the tech giants
The Deutsche Telekom boss also emphasized that Europe should seriously consider asking US technology giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Netflix to pay for the use of mobile provider networks.
“We offer a free service here, because there are no interconnection fees. I think these companies should also make a small contribution to the investment needs of our industry,” says Höttges.
