Deutsche Telekom sees artificial intelligence changing the basic role of telecom networks. The message came during the company’s AI Investor Day. Telekom Deutschland CEO Rodrigo Diehl said future networks must do more than carry traffic.
According to Diehl, AI will move closer to users and devices. Today, many workloads depend on large remote data centers. That model works for many digital services. Yet it may struggle with real-time AI tasks.
“Server farms across the ocean will not be fast enough for a lot of AI use cases and workloads that are emerging,” Diehl said. “And that means some of that intelligence will need to move closer to the device, closer to the end user, closer to the edge.”
This shift could make edge computing more important for operators. It could also create new revenue paths. Carriers may sell services based on speed, delay, and reliability. However, they must invest in smarter infrastructure first.
Diehl identified four forces behind this change. These include edge intelligence, local trust, 6G, and stronger network orchestration. Orchestration means coordinating many network parts as one service. That task grows harder as devices and access options multiply.
He also said AI will change user interfaces. Phones may lose their central role in daily computing. AI agents may act for users with memory and context. Voice, glasses, earphones, and small connected devices may become common gateways.
“I think the days of using our fingers to talk to computers is over,” he said.
Physical AI may create the toughest network demands. This includes robots and AI-enabled machines operating in public spaces. Factories and campus networks can be easier to manage. Streets, homes, and open mobile networks are far less predictable.
“For a lot of the AI use cases that are coming, to run in the real world, and with the real world I mean outside of factories or outside of campus networks, the networks of today will not be enough,” he said, citing jitter, latency, and quality of service.
Diehl said Silicon Valley entrepreneurs already see network limits. These limits affect robot deployment and physical AI services. That creates urgency for operators. It also creates a chance to stand apart through better quality.
The same vision also raises operational questions. Networks will need more automation and stronger security. They must understand what each device needs. Then they must adjust performance without manual intervention.
Diehl described a future “network of networks.” It would stay always on and operate seamlessly. It would also support trust, security, and tailored service levels.
In the longer term, sensing may become another major function. Networks could gather signals from connected devices. They could help build digital twins of real environments.
Deutsche Telekom is already applying AI to network operations. Use cases include fiber rollout and live network optimization. Diehl said the company targets fully autonomous network operations. For telecom engineers, that signals a major industry turn.
