Deutsche Telekom's corporate values

Addressing the trends within the industry such as rapidly changing behavior of our customers, evolving technologies or an increasing bandwidth demand, Deutsche Telekom has consistently putting itself to the test and evolving its vision and aspiration.

In this process corporate culture is key and the corporate values act as cornerstones forming this culture. Therefore the Guiding Principles have been evolved as well from the former T-Spirit. They are strong tools which guide our behavior and represent our values and beliefs. However the values are not just made for internal use - it is also meant for the outside world. They emphasize the role Deutsche Telekom is playing as a responsible corporate citizen.

• Customer delight drives our action. This principle focuses on the most important thing for the business: not only satisfying customers, but delighting them. The customers’ thoughts, feelings, needs and experience must drive Deutsche Telekom.

  
  

• Respect and integrity guide our behavior. The second principle goes beyond respecting one another as colleagues in every day business. It is also about truly respecting customers, partners, suppliers and shareholders.

  
  

• Team together, team apart. The third principle focuses on Deutsche Telekom’s culture of working together. Teams should openly discuss issues and exchange opinions. But once a decision has been made, the decision is upheld by the entire team. At separate workplaces all over the world, the decision is implemented and executed as one team.

  
  

• Best place to perform and grow. The fourth principle recognizes the importance of employees for the company and company culture. To become the most highly regarded service company in the telecommunications industry and beyond, Deutsche Telekom relies on the commitment and success of everyone. This principle combines the commitment from both management and employees to make Deutsche Telekom the best place to perform and grow.

  
  

• I am T, count on me. The final principle involves personal commitment to Deutsche Telekom from every employee. It means that when a customer has a problem each employee is personally committed to solving it. Colleagues can count on one another as well as shareholders and customers counting on the company.

The Guiding Principles are the basis of how we work together for our customers, shareholders and the public. The top management at Deutsche Telekom is committed to living the values at all times and to embedding them in the Group. The goal is for all employees, to truly live the vision and values.

Building up on that, the Code of Conduct is our code of behaviour and makes our Guiding Principles more tangible. It defines the rules for our daily business both internally and externally. It creates the bridge between the Guiding Principles and the many different guidelines and legal regulations within the Group. It also complies with the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. As the values of Deutsche Telekom have further evolved into the described Guiding Principles over the last months it is planned to update the Code of Conduct by the end of 2009. The roll-out should start in Q1 2010. In this transition period, both the Guiding Principles and the Code of Conduct, which is still based on the former values (T-Spirit), are valid.