en.Wedoany.com Reported - Germany's Deutsche Telekom has deployed OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise, aiming to fully embed AI capabilities in customer care and core network operations to become one of the first AI-native telecommunications operators.
The group serves over 300 million customers in Europe and the United States, with a total workforce exceeding 200,000 employees. Its daily operations must handle massive customer service volumes, complex network infrastructure, and millions of service interactions each day.
Deutsche Telekom views generative AI as a comprehensive transformation of decision-making processes, customer journeys, and service delivery, rather than an overlay project on existing models. Jonathan Abrahamson, the company's Chief Product and Digital Officer, stated that becoming AI-native is not simply about adding AI to existing ways of working, but redesigning the work itself.
The initial plan provided employees with ChatGPT Enterprise and encouraged open experimentation across roles. Adoption was relatively fast, with employees using the tool in familiar patterns, which in turn generated strong internal demand for broader licenses and new features, including API tools. Currently, Deutsche Telekom has over 50,000 monthly active users of ChatGPT and API tools. Since the beginning of 2026, the use of AI tools has increased by 546%, driven by organic adoption and intentional expansion of access, rather than mandatory installation.
Customer care was one of the first high-traffic areas selected for redesign. Deutsche Telekom rebuilt selected customer-facing workflows rather than inserting AI into existing steps. Abrahamson believes that current AI-driven customer service is still in its early stages, but if the system can accumulate context, continuously learn, and eliminate handoffs and wait times, it can surpass traditional support models in specific scenarios. After collaborating with partners like OpenAI, Deutsche Telekom embedded real-time translation, in-call assistants, and post-call summaries directly into customer interactions, without requiring users to download new applications.
In terms of mobile network performance, Deutsche Telekom applies AI models with multiple partners for real-time optimization. Resources are dynamically adjusted based on changes in demand patterns throughout the day, and the system can reallocate capacity without manual intervention. This deployment takes place in the live network rather than offline analysis, allowing the operator to continuously monitor performance changes and maintain service quality under variable loads.
Voice is the next major focus. Abrahamson stated that the team is running multiple models to explore real-time translation, intelligent call assistants, and automatic summarization. These capabilities move AI from standalone applications into the communication channels customers use daily. The company sees this as part of its effort to open AI access through existing networks, an infrastructure that already supports over 300 million customers.
Deutsche Telekom's progress is balanced by top-level direction and employee experimentation, with each business process redesign proving its value before moving forward. The company has documented tangible impacts in customer service, network operations, and employee workflows. The next phase will embed AI more deeply into the communication experience customers use daily through real-time translation, intelligent call assistants, and automatic summarization. AI-native practices are already shaping daily telecom operations within the company.
