Deutsche Telekom CEO: EU tech held back by antitrust rules

The CEO of Germany's largest telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom DTEGn.DE warned on Thursday that EU antitrust regulation is stifling innovation in artificial intelligence and data networks.

Speaking at an event on competition regulation in Berlin, CEO Tim Hoettges said the bloc needs to allow for broader collaboration and larger players in tech and data industries.

• The United States and China have stronger networks, broader coverage, and lower consumer prices because larger players there achieve better returns on their investments, the CEO argued

• "Competition also requires viable challengers. And viable challengers require scale. That is especially true in AI," said Hoettges

• "Europe needs compute capacity. Europe needs ecosystems. And Europe needs providers that can reach critical mass," he added

-Reporting by Hakan Ersen Writing by Ludwig Burger;Editing by Linda Pasquini/Reuters