Deutsche Telekom Expands Web3 Initiatives with Bitcoin Mining and AI Partnerships

Deutsche Telekom is expanding its involvement in the Web3 space, following its recent role as a validator on Fetch.ai’s decentralized blockchain. T-Mobile Deutsche Telekom announced its plans to start mining Bitcoin, building on its existing crypto activities. The company has been operating a Bitcoin node since 2023 and is also running Bitcoin Lightning Network nodes.

At BTC Prague, Dirk Röder, head of Web3 infrastructure and solutions at Deutsche Telekom, stated:

“Since 2023, we are running a Bitcoin node, and we are running Bitcoin Lightning nodes as well [...] I like to let you in on a little secret: we will engage in digital monetary photosynthesis soon.”

When former Cointelegraph contributor Joseph Hall asked Röder to elaborate on “digital monetary photosynthesis,” he hinted at future developments without providing specifics. Deutsche Telekom has been involved in Web3 as a Polygon validator since June 2023, using its extensive infrastructure to secure new revenue streams. As one of 100 validators, the company has offered staking and validation services on Polygon for over a year, supporting the platform’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism.

In February, Fetch.ai, a decentralized AI platform, partnered with Deutsche Telekom to establish enterprise AI solutions. As a validator on the Fetch.ai blockchain, Deutsche Telekom supports AI-driven autonomous agents that provide services in healthcare, automotive, supply chain management, and digital identities by managing resources, conducting transactions, and analyzing traffic flows.