- European Edge Continuum (IPCEI-CIS and 8ra): Five Leading Operators achieve the First Pan-European Federated Edge Cloud at MWC 2026
- Sovereign digital infrastructure based on European values
- Deutsche Telekom applying for IPCEI-AI to further develop AI sovereignty within Europe
Europe takes a major step toward digital sovereignty. At Mobile World Congress 2026, Deutsche Telekom (DT), Orange, Telefónica, TIM, and Vodafone announce the successful live demonstration of the European Edge Continuum - the first federated edge cloud connecting the networks of Europe’s five largest operators. The milestone marks a breakthrough within 8ra initiative and the Important Project of Common European Interest on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS).
“This federation proves that Europe is not just talking about digital sovereignty. We are building it,” said Christine Knackfuß-Nikolic, Chief Sovereign Officer at T-Systems. “By uniting our networks and expertise, we are creating a secure, open and trusted digital ecosystem made in Europe – for Europe’s digital future.”
Building on the success of IPCEI-CIS, Deutsche Telekom has submitted its proposal for participation in the upcoming IPCEI on Artificial Intelligence (IPCEI-AI). This initiative aims to extend Europe’s sovereignty in AI development based on secure, trustworthy infrastructures like the Industrial AI Cloud.
From Vision to Reality within IPCEI-CIS
Just one year ago, the European Edge Federation was a shared vision. Now, it has become reality: the five leading Operators have successfully federated their edge environments, enabling seamless deployment of applications across their combined European footprint.
Enhanced by platform components developed within the European-funded IPCEI-CIS project, the federation is now operational in lab and pre-production environments – a decisive step towards industrial and commercial rollout.
A New Era for European Edge Computing
The European Edge Continuum enables customers and developers to deploy applications securely and automatically across nodes from different Operators through a single-entry point. The federation offers key advantages:
- an extended European footprint,
- dynamic workload allocation and intelligent application distribution for optimal performance and cost efficiency,
- mobility with service continuity across networks,
- and built-in data sovereignty and interoperability.
With these advantages, DT and the other telcos enable multiple use cases in the area of autonomous mobility, such as logistics and industrial robots, autonomous driving as well as smart parking, and open the door to a broad range of additional applications across industry and smart cities – from AI-based quality control in factories to intelligent traffic management and public safety solutions in urban areas. This initiative significantly extends the reach of each Operator and supports Europe’s digital transformation with secure, flexible and trusted edge services.
The European Edge Continuum is designed as an open ecosystem. Work is already underway to integrate additional European technology leaders, application developers and open-source communities. New partners are invited to join and actively shape Europe’s digital future.
Next Steps: Industrialization, Expansion and Future IPCEI Initiatives
With the first federation live in lab and pre-production, the next phase will focus on industrialization, commercial rollout and the expansion of the ecosystem to new partners and use cases.
This evolution is embedded in Europe’s broader strategy to build sovereign, resilient and interoperable digital infrastructures under the IPCEI framework. Building on IPCEI-CIS and 8ra, upcoming initiatives such as IPCEI-AI will further strengthen these objectives by promoting trustworthy technologies, innovation and the protection of European fundamental values.
Together, these next IPCEI initiatives will become a key part of the European Edge Continuum roadmap, reinforcing Europe’s digital sovereignty and forming the backbone of a strong, independent and future-proof digital ecosystem. And DT plans to play a crucial role within the IPCEI initiatives.
Demonstration at MWC
At MWC 2026, the demonstration will showcase how organizations can seamlessly deploy applications across one or more federated edge infrastructures in Europe using a single access point. For Operators, Edge Federation enables new service offerings and collaboration within an open ecosystem, accelerating onboarding processes and time-to-market while unlocking new business models. March 2, 2026 16:00 – 16:40 CET
Deutsche Telekom at MWC Barcelona from March 2 to 5, 2026
Stream press conference
Live from Barcelona on March 2 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. under www.telekom.com/media
MWC Theme Special
You can find more information on the individual topics under www.telekom.com/mwc-special
Visit us – in Barcelona or online
Experience our products and technologies live. From March 2 to 5, 2026, you will find Deutsche Telekom in hall 3 at booth 3M31. We look forward to seeing you. All events will be streamed live.
Stage program and events: mwc.telekom.com/2026
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