Deutsche Telekom Denies Major Revamp

Deutsche Telekom, Europe's leading telecommunications group has denied planning a massive shake-up of its four main businesses -- mobile phone unit T-Mobile, fixed network business T-Com, Internet arm T-Online and IT services unit T-Systems. "We are and will stay an integrated telecom company based on four units," a spokesman told the DPA news agency. German business daily Financial Times Deutschland reported on Friday that Deutsche Telekom Chief Kai-Uwe Ricke was "working on a new concept" to avoid competition between Telekom's four divisions and focus instead on competing with outside rivals. Ricke was expected to outline his new strategy at Deutsche Telekom's annual shareholder meeting in May, the paper said. On Thursday, Deutsche Telekom had announced that T-Com boss Josef Brauner was stepping down as a result of the fiasco surrounding the introduction of a controversial satellite-driven toll system for trucks on Germany's overcrowded motorways.