Interview with Ralph Dommermuth

The 1&1 mobile network is one of the largest privately funded infrastructure projects in Germany and also Europe’s first fully virtualized 5G network based on innovative Open RAN technology. Last year was an important year for the expansion and operation of the 1&1 O-RAN. Did you achieve everything you set out to do in 2025?

Yes, we set ourselves an ambitious timetable for 2025 and achieved our goals. With regard to the expansion of our antenna locations, we crossed an important threshold last year: bringing more than 300 locations online per quarter on average. Compared to our competitors, this is an excellent rate of progress. And our gigabit antennas are connected without compromise via fiber-optic lines to more than 300 regional edge data centers, which we have already set up for our cloud-native network. In this regard, we are directly benefiting from the steadily growing fiber-optic network of our subsidiary 1&1 Versatel, which is now one of Germany’s largest networks with a length of more than 68,000 kilometers.

Just two years after the launch of mobile services, the 1&1 O-RAN already reached 27 percent of German households in December 2025. This means that we have exceeded the Federal Network Agency’s original target of covering a quarter of all households by the end of 2025. We intend to maintain this trajectory and continue to rapidly expand our network. And as we continue to expand our antenna locations, the national roaming services we procure during the roll-out to provide nationwide access for our customers via Vodafone’s antennas are gradually being phased out. We look forward to reaching ever more people with our own innovative network.

However, we not only made significant progress in network expansion. At the same time, 1&1 completed the largest customer migration in German mobile communications history in the past year– and in doing so also fulfilled the requirement for “competitive independence” within the specified time frame. To achieve this, up to 50,000 customers previously supplied via wholesale contracts of other networks were migrated to the 1&1 network every day – mostly in a particularly user-friendly “over-the-air update” installed automatically overnight. Since November, all 1&1 customers have been surfing and making calls using the 1&1 O-RAN.

Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefónica have decades of experience in operating mobile networks. Can 1&1 O-RAN already compete with the established networks just two years after entering the market? How has the mobile communications landscape changed in this time?

Obviously, you cannot make up for twenty-five years or more of network expansion in just two years. Our advantage lies in the technology we use. We are building Europe’s most advanced mobile network based on innovative Open RAN technology – the 1&1 O-RAN. Fast innovation cycles, real-time capability, and the flexible selection of trusted partners are cutting-edge benefits that even our competitors have now recognized. More and more network operators are now making efforts to convert their existing monolithic infrastructure to Open RAN – with Vodafone leading the way with its pan-European efforts to switch to the new open standard.

In 2025, the quality of the 1&1 mobile network was evaluated for the first time as part of an individual assessment in the renowned benchmark test conducted by German tech magazine “connect”. Based on globally identical measurement methods and taking into account the national roaming of Vodafone, 1&1 achieved a “very good” rating at the first attempt. This is further proof that we are delivering on what we set out to do as the fourth network operator: bringing more innovation to the German mobile communications landscape as well as lively competition that benefits consumers.

In addition to Open RAN, United Internet is investing in other key digital technologies such as cloud and AI. What role does artificial intelligence play in your applications?

In our Applications division, we are pursuing an AI strategy with a clear focus on growth, scaling, and digital sovereignty. To this end, we are steadily expanding our portfolio of attractive AI solutions for companies and private users. Last year, for example, we launched IONOS Momentum, our first European AI ecosystem tailored specifically to the needs of small and mid-sized enterprises.

AI assistants can handle routine tasks such as phone calls, appointment scheduling, and customer service, as well as creating texts and designs . The platform is based on IONOS’s sovereign cloud infrastructure. This means that data is processed in accordance with strict European data privacy standards and is not used to train AI models.

Almost every second person in Germany uses a GMX or WEB.DE private e-mail account. And we are increasingly utilizing innovative AI applications “Made in Germany” that facilitate our digital lives. For example, the e-mail inbox has evolved into a smart assistant that now writes, translates, summarizes, and organizes e-mails.

What are your expectations for the fiscal year 2026?

United Internet expects sales to increase to around € 6.25 billion in the fiscal year 2026. Despite high costs for the development of our future topics, EBITDA is likely to grow to around € 1.45 billion. We will continue to make strong investments, especially in the expansion of our fiber-optic and mobile communications networks. Cash capex is expected to be between € 600 million and € 650 million (2025: € 730.8 million).

Boldly pursuing new paths is in our DNA. The United Internet Group will continue to lead the way with its innovations and leverage the opportunities offered by digitalization for the benefit of our customers and our company.