11.–12.06.2025 #polismobility

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BRAVE NEW WORLD

WHY WE MUST FINALLY THINK OF MOBILITY DIGITALLY AND HOLISTICALLY

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The mobility revolution is here to stay. In the metropolitan areas, decarbonized, digitally networked mobility is unstoppable. And we have a choice: Either we all shape the livable city of the future together now. Or the path leads via bans and restrictions, and we will lose a lot of time. To achieve this, we must not only change our behavior, but above all take advantage of the opportunities that digitization brings. Quickly and without compromise. We must no longer view the mobility of the future "standalone" and from the perspective of transport providers. Instead, we must realize that all industries, without exception, are affected by the transportation transformation. Established business models, trade relationships and value chains will go through fundamental change or disappear. New industry linkages will emerge - such as the cooperation between telecommunications and transportation for the development of autonomous driving or the close dovetailing of the energy and automotive industries in electromobility.

© Adobe Stock/lizenziert durch Deutsche Telekom

© Adobe Stock/lizenziert durch Deutsche Telekom

Upside down

Let's take a closer look and imagine that the inner cities are largely closed to through traffic in 2030. According to the model of the 15-minute city, we will get to our destination faster, more relaxed and more resource-efficient with shared transport. All everyday stops can be reached on foot or by bicycle. Workplaces, shopping facilities, educational institutions, health and recreational facilities are evenly distributed throughout the city. We use well-developed bicycle and public transport networks, and autonomous driving is here to stay.

All of this will hugely upend our daily routines. We will no longer drive to the grocery store once a week in our SUV, but perhaps get our daily needs by bicycle or order them online. Aldi & Co. will then need fewer parking spaces, but instead a well-developed delivery and shuttle service, so that people can decide on the spot whether they want to bring the groceries home themselves or prefer to have them delivered.

We no longer drive our children to school ourselves, but entrust them to a self-driving vehicle. The restaurant visit booked online includes the round trip: A vehicle picks me (and my friends) up, we enjoy an aperitif while we're still driving, and we order our meal online. Our children will no longer know traffic jams during their commute. They will work flexibly in their home office or in the coworking space around the corner. Or they will be transported to the workplace in a robocap. This is already forcing the construction and housing industries to rethink their approach, and entire neighborhoods are being built without parking garages.

Mobility connects

© Adobe Stock/lizenziert durch Deutsche Telekom

© Adobe Stock/lizenziert durch Deutsche Telekom

For the mobility of the future, this means even more than today that it is not an end in itself. Every trip has its purpose: we want to go shopping, drive to work, get medical care, take our children to daycare or go to the gym. Mobility becomes a bridge, a connector of my multiple areas of life. It becomes the "Third Place" next to the home and the workplace. Journeys from A to B are no longer wasted time; instead, I can work in my vehicle, order my food or preconfigure my groceries at the supermarket. Mobility is becoming a commodity: a free service available anytime and anywhere as part of new cross-sector business models and offerings.

Too good to be true?

Let's be honest: The traditional transport providers will not be able to manage this transformation under their own steam. We need new players on the market that connect not only transport networks, but also people's everyday stations. Deutsche Telekom's vision is to shape the digital world of tomorrow. We bring people together and make their lives easier. This also includes a seamless and sustainable mobility experience. That's why we will soon be launching a digital platform that connects all modes of transport. Users will be able to access a wide range of providers in a region via an app. The partnership with Stadtwerke Bonn will initially open up the Rhein-Sieg Transport Association (VRS) and thus the greater Cologne/Bonn area, with others to follow. But this is just the beginning. The next step will be bundled products of mobility and non-mobility services, which we will offer as subscriptions.

Let's talk!

Our everyday lives will change. Disruption is in the air, entire industries and businesses will disappear, others will emerge. The scenarios described here are within reach and promise a more responsible use of our resources. However, the prerequisite is that we all leave our comfort zones and boldly think of new paths and ecosystems, and enter into cooperative ventures and public-private partnerships. Only in this way can mobility become ecological, social and affordable for all. We are ready to build these bridges. Even beyond the Magenta World.

DR. OLGA NEVSKA

Dr. Olga Nevska © Deutsche Telekom

Dr. Olga Nevska © Deutsche Telekom

is Managing Director of Telekom MobilitySolutions and a member of the Board of Directors at T-Mobile Czech Republic. Originally from Ukraine, she holds a doctorate in economics and law from Freie Universität Berlin and joined Deutsche Telekom in 2009. She stands for digitization as an enabler for connected, sustainable and demand-driven mobility and is responsible for the transformation of one of Germany's largest corporate fleets into an innovative mobility provider. Olga Nevska is a guest lecturer and advisory board member at the Institute for Mobility at the University of St. Gallen and was named one of the 100 Women Advancing Germany by Handelsblatt.