DIGITAL X took place for the 9th time on 8th September 2026 in Cologne, Germany. This year, key areas included enterprise AI, sovereign AI infrastructure, AI agents and agentic AI, cloud, cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, connectivity/IoT, and practical industry applications. The message of DIGITAL X transformed from “look what AI can do” into “how to operationalize and scale AI to generate economic value”. In this context, DIGITAL X offered interesting insights into how to operationalize AI. At DIGITAL X, Deutsche Telekom and T-Systems positioned themselves as partners for complex AI transformation challenges. 

The Deutsche Telekom/T-Systems value proposition is evolving towards a trusted European orchestrator that integrates cloud, connectivity, cybersecurity, data, governance, sovereign infrastructure, AI models, and enterprise applications. Of course, T-Systems doesn’t have to invent every technology solution on its own. However, Deutsche Telekom/T-Systems could flesh out the details of their emerging operating model by, for example, clarifying their detailed value proposition vis-à-vis their partners in the AI value chain.

DIGITAL X Is Deutsche Telekom And T-Systems’ B2B Digitalization Event Initiative

DIGITAL X makes digital transformation more tangible and actionable for its clients. This year, DIGITAL X welcomed about 6,000 attendees and 90 participating companies. It also hosted over 100 masterclasses. DIGITAL X matters to Telekom/T-Systems because it:

• Is an essential lead generator and customer engagement initiative. The event allows Telekom/T-Systems account managers to arrange a string of in-person meetings with key stakeholders in areas of interest, including partner meetings, demos, and hands-on masterclasses.
• Boosts its partner ecosystem. DIGITAL X brings together technology partners like SAP, Sparkasse, Apple at Work, and Anthropic, customers, start-ups, policymakers, and thought leaders and uses real-world examples to demonstrate how technologies translate into business outcomes.
• Drives the strategic evolution of T-Business and T-Systems. DIGITAL X allows Deutsche Telekom to position itself not simply as a connectivity provider but increasingly as a digital transformation, cloud, sovereign infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI partner.

DIGITAL X Is A Sales And Ecosystem Enabler

DIGITAL X’s greatest strategic value is that it gives Telekom/T-Systems something most IT services competitors in Germany cannot easily reproduce: the ability to combine the reach and brand of Deutsche Telekom⁠ and T-Systems with enterprise technology partners, customers, connectivity, cloud, security, sovereignty, and AI in one environment.

That matters because Telekom/T-Systems compete increasingly through a mix of orchestration, integration, operation, and trust. Telekom/T-Systems describe their ecosystem strategy around portfolio/go-to-market, delivery/solution, and commercial/sales partnerships. DIGITAL X:

• Opens doors beyond the traditional IT buyer. DIGITAL X attracts senior executives through prominent business leaders rather than positioning itself as another IT trade show. This creates an opportunity for Telekom/T-Systems to engage with CEOs, COOs, and business executives alongside CIOs and CTOs.
• Strengthens T-Systems’ ecosystem strategy. DIGITAL X allows Telekom/T-Systems to demonstrate its ecosystem of 500+ technology and industry partners, comprising hyperscalers, software vendors, AI companies, industry specialists, connectivity firms, and customers. 
• Moves client discussions from products toward outcomes. The question is no longer what AI can do, but how clients can turn AI pilots into value. DIGITAL X offers masterclasses, live demonstrations, and use cases designed around this. T-Systems is not just selling products but solving the integration problem around them.
• Moves sovereignty center stage. Telekom/T-Systems’ pitch is to use the global technology ecosystem but retain control. DIGITAL X explicitly connects AI, cloud, data, and European digital sovereignty.

PAC’s Recommendations For Digital X

PAC views DIGITAL X as a powerful commercial platform for Telekom/T-Systems, but one that has not yet been fully optimized as a sales engine. DIGITAL X generates brand awareness, relationships, and leads. Still, DIGITAL X could be set up to boost revenue creation more. For 2027, Telekom/T-Systems could consider:

• Tuning down the technology story. DIGITAL X promises to “demonstrate how security, sovereign cloud, AI, and connectivity must work together so that technological momentum translates into real business agility.” Yet, enterprise buyers want answers to specific problems. DIGITAL X should move further toward these industry and process conversations.
• Designing DIGITAL X around major business problems. Most organizations share key challenges on the path to digital and AI transformation. DIGITAL X could pick the most important and build the event around possibilities to solve them. Partners could be orchestrated around those challenges as well, rather than presenting their portfolios independently.
• Aligning partner messaging with its own value creation pitch. Telekom/T-Systems’ technology providers control a large share of attendees’ attention. Embracing an aligned pitch for solutions to major business problems could be more commercially powerful than sending the same customer through separate cloud, AI, and cybersecurity demonstrations.
• Reducing the number of “celebrity speakers”. External speakers can drive customer attention and attendance. However, most of these speakers are no experts in tech transformation, and their “inspiration” can dominate conversions. More importantly, external expert speakers don’t generate in-depth client interactions or qualified opportunities.