Bitcoin
Europe’s Largest Telecom Provider Deutsche Telekom Will Start Mining Bitcoin
Europe’s Largest Telecom Provider Deutsche Telekom Will Start Mining Bitcoin
Deutsche Telekom, Europe’s largest telecommunications provider, is expected to venture into Bitcoin mining. This announcement was made by Dirk Röder, head of infrastructure and Web3 solutions at T-Systems MMS, a subsidiary owned by Deutsche Telekom, during the BTC Prague conference on Friday.
Röder, who wore a shirt with a pink Bitcoin graphic inspired by the Deutsche Telekom logo, revealed the company’s plans with evident enthusiasm. “Since 2023 we [have been] running a Bitcoin node and we are also running Bitcoin Lightning nodes,” he stated. Röder then hinted at a future venture, saying, “And with a heart full of […] pride, I would like to tell you a little secret: we will soon engage in ‘digital monetary photosynthesis’.”
This cryptic announcement prompted Bitcoin influencer Joe Nakamoto to seek clarification, asking directly: “So T-Mobile is mining Bitcoin?” To which Röder responded succinctly: “We will.”
Deutsche Telekom’s foray into the cryptocurrency space is not limited to Bitcoin. The company has been steadily increasing its involvement in various blockchain initiatives. In 2022, Deutsche Telekom extended its support to the Ethereum network by running validator nodes and collaborating with the StakeWise liquid staking protocol, joining its governance DAO. This move is in line with the company’s strategy, which includes running a validation node for the Polygon network and supporting the Q and Chainlink blockchain networks. The company also operates nodes on the Polkadot and Celo networks and makes direct investments in the tokens of these protocols.