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Logo: Open Telekom Cloud

Open Telekom Cloud

Deutsche Telekom / T-Systems sovereign European public cloud (now marketed as T Cloud Public): OpenStack-based IaaS and platform services in Germany, Netherlands, and Swiss regions with BSI C5, ISO, and SOC attestations.

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Open Telekom Cloud is the public IaaS and platform-services cloud of Deutsche Telekom, operated by T-Systems. On the official site it is now marketed as T Cloud Public. The product is an OpenStack-based public cloud: compute, storage, network, containers, databases, analytics, AI, and security services.

It exists for organisations that want a sovereign European public cloud from a German telecom operator rather than a US hyperscaler. Published regions are European only: Germany (Biere / Magdeburg), the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The concrete differentiator is that twin-core European region design plus a catalog aimed at public-sector and regulated buyers (including vendor-positioned sovereign AI on ModelArts). It is a managed public cloud, not software you download and self-host.

EU-operated (T-Systems)OpenStack public IaaSBSI C5 Type II (claimed)DE / NL / CH regionsGPU + ModelArts AIPay-as-you-go

Shortlist when you need a German Telekom/T-Systems OpenStack public cloud with DE/NL/CH regions and a strong BSI C5/ISO/TISAX package for regulated or public-sector workloads. Skip when you need hyperscaler global PaaS breadth or pure self-hosted OpenStack—consider OVHcloud, Scaleway, or AWS/Azure for those cases.

Key capabilities

Self-service IaaS on OpenStack: Elastic Cloud Server flavors from general-purpose to GPU shapes for AI/ML and graphics, plus Dedicated Host and Bare Metal where the region supports them. Provision via console, API, or automation; Auto Scaling for metric-driven capacity. Suited to production VMs and hybrid patterns that need European operator control rather than a thin VPS plan.

Object Storage Service provides S3-compatible multi-AZ object storage; Elastic Volume Service attaches block disks with snapshots; Scalable File Service offers NFS shared filesystems. Cloud Backup and Recovery and related services back up VMs and volumes into platform object storage. Pin workloads to DE, NL, or Swiss regions according to residency policy.

Virtual Private Cloud isolation, Elastic Load Balancer, VPN, NAT, Enterprise Router, and Direct Connect for high-bandwidth hybrid links. Security stack includes Anti-DDoS, WAF, Cloud Firewall, Host Security Service, and Key Management Service with bring-your-own-key options—useful for regulated network architectures without leaving Telekom-operated regions.

Cloud Container Engine runs Kubernetes-managed clusters and images; companion services cover container instances and registries. Relational Database Service supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Microsoft SQL with HA and backup patterns; document, cache (Redis-class), MapReduce, and search services extend the data plane. Service availability differs between DE and NL—check the regional matrix before design freezes.

ModelArts provides an end-to-end AI development path (data prep, training, deployment) on European infrastructure, with GPU-backed instances for training and inference. Aimed at teams that want model and training-data residency under the same European operator as their IaaS—confirm which AI services exist in your chosen region (several AI offerings are DE-focused).

Published regions: twin-core Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), Netherlands (Amsterdam area), and Switzerland (Bern/Zollikofen) for Swiss data residency. Vendor claims geo-redundant twin-core design, high availability targets, and renewable-powered German facilities. Not a global multi-continent footprint—by design for European sovereignty shortlists.

At a glance

HQ / operator
Germany — T-Systems / Deutsche Telekom
Current brand
T Cloud Public (formerly Open Telekom Cloud)
Platform
OpenStack-based public cloud
Regions
Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), Netherlands, Switzerland
Commercial model
Pay-as-you-go (+ optional discounts/reservations)
Self-host
No — managed public cloud

Best fit when

  • German public sector and regulated buyers needing Telekom-group operator plus BSI C5 / ISO package
  • Enterprises pinning workloads to DE, NL, or Swiss twin-core regions under GDPR (and Swiss DSG where relevant)
  • Teams wanting OpenStack-based IaaS with ECS, object/block storage, VPC, and Kubernetes (CCE) without US hyperscaler residency defaults
  • AI/ML projects that require GPU capacity and ModelArts-class tooling with European data residency messaging
  • Hybrid architectures using Direct Connect / VPN into Telekom data centers with 24/7 European support expectations

Poor fit when

  • Workloads that require dozens of global regions or deep proprietary hyperscaler PaaS catalogs
  • Buyers seeking a free self-hosted OpenStack distribution rather than a commercial public cloud
  • Teams that need every service in every region—several AI, bare-metal, and data services are DE-only or limited
  • Organisations that reject any non-European technology supply chain without further review (historical Huawei partnership)

Consider instead when

  • When: You need extensive bare-metal catalogs and a very large multi-country EU footprint

    Consider: OVHcloud

    Different operator (France) and product packaging; compare bare-metal and region maps.

  • When: You prefer developer-centric European cloud packaging outside the Telekom stack

    Consider: Scaleway or Exoscale

    Scaleway for FR/NL-oriented developer UX; Exoscale for Swiss multi-zone IaaS + managed K8s.

  • When: You need global regions, marketplace depth, or proprietary PaaS only hyperscalers provide

    Consider: AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform

    Accept US-parent CLOUD Act exposure and multi-region complexity in exchange for breadth.

  • When: You want German-market hosting adjacency with a different commercial/product mix

    Consider: IONOS

    Often compared for German buyers; validate IaaS depth vs OTC enterprise cloud features.

Jurisdiction & ownership

Legal entity
T-Systems International GmbH (Deutsche Telekom group); product marketed as T Cloud Public / Open Telekom Cloud
Governing law
German / EU law for the cloud service (confirm contract)
US parent / control
No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)
Low
Hosting / residency
Primary: Telekom/T-Systems twin-core data centers in Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), Netherlands (Amsterdam region), and Switzerland (Bern/Zollikofen). No public indication that AWS, Azure, or GCP is the primary IaaS host. Backups/DR via platform multi-AZ services. Full public subprocessor table not found—request DPA annex. Historical Huawei technology partnership is supply-chain diligence, not US-cloud hosting.

Indicative only—not legal advice. Vendor claims no non-European legal access / CLOUD Act exposure for EU-operated regions; EuropeanStack scores low for no known US parent and EU-owned hosting, but does not certify immunity. Deutsche Telekom owns T-Mobile US (downstream subsidiary), which does not make T-Systems a US-parented cloud operator. Review Huawei residual stack risk separately from CLOUD Act.

  • Independent security / no-logs auditNot applicable
  • ISO 27001Vendor claimed
  • ISO/IEC 27017 (cloud security)Vendor claimed
  • ISO/IEC 27018 (cloud PII)Vendor claimed
  • +7

Considerations & known limitations

  • MediumHistorical Huawei technology partnership

    Platform launched with Huawei hardware/software partnership; residual stack components may still matter for sensitive public-sector RFPs. T-Systems states independent operation. Review supply-chain docs under NDA.

  • MediumService catalog differs by region

    Several services (e.g. ModelArts, bare metal, some database/analytics SKUs) are unavailable in NL or limited to DE. Design against the live regional matrix, not the full marketing list.

  • LowLimited public subprocessor table

    Unlike some SaaS vendors, a complete public subprocessor inventory was not found on marketing pages. Request DPA annex and subcontractor list before high-assurance processing.

  • LowSmaller global ecosystem than AWS/Azure/GCP

    Expect fewer regions, fewer proprietary PaaS services, and a smaller marketplace than US hyperscalers. Migration tools and partner ecosystem exist but differ in depth.

  • LowBrand transition OTC → T Cloud Public

    Documentation, console URLs, and community still mix Open Telekom Cloud and T Cloud Public names. Factor rebrand into runbooks and vendor risk registers.

Open questions for due diligence

  • Will T-Systems provide the current full subprocessor/subcontractor list and signed DPA annex for our legal entity and region?
  • What is the residual Huawei (or other non-EU) component inventory for the regions we will use, and is it acceptable under our procurement policy?
  • Which services in our target architecture are available in DE vs NL vs Swiss regions with which SLAs?
  • Can we obtain current C5 Type II and SOC 2 reports (not only marketing claims and SOC 3 summary) under NDA?
  • For AI workloads, which ModelArts/GPU SKUs and data paths apply, and how do they map to our EU AI Act role?
Request vendor DPA / enterprise contact
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes for practical purposes. T Cloud Public is the current product name for the platform formerly branded Open Telekom Cloud. Vendor FAQ states existing services, projects, and data remain accessible through the transition. Consoles, marketplace (marketplace.otc.t-systems.com), and community may still show OTC naming. For RFPs, treat them as one platform under Deutsche Telekom / T-Systems.

Public materials locate regions in Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), the Netherlands (Amsterdam region), and Switzerland (Bern/Zollikofen), operated as Telekom/T-Systems infrastructure with twin-core geo-redundancy. There is no public claim that AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud is the primary IaaS host. Request the contractual DPA annex and current subcontractor list for your account—marketing pages do not replace a signed subprocessor schedule.

The certifications page claims ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, 27701, BSI C5 Type II, SOC 1/2 Type II and a public SOC 3 report, TISAX Level 3 (DE and NL per vendor), Spanish ENS high level, plus data-center standards (DIN EN 50600 / ISO 22237) and KRITIS registration at T-Systems level. Many ISO PDFs and SOC 3 are downloadable; C5/SOC detailed reports are often request-only. Re-verify current PDF dates in procurement—do not rely solely on this directory.

Consumption is pay-as-you-go for metered compute, storage, network, and platform services, with optional discount/reservation models documented on the official pricing pages. A public price calculator and service-description PDF define billable units. Trial or starting credits may be offered for new accounts. EuropeanStack does not publish euro figures—use Telekom’s calculator for estimates and enterprise sales for committed deals.

Prefer OVHcloud for large bare-metal catalogs and broad multi-country EU options; Scaleway for developer-centric packaging and different regional product mixes; Exoscale or IONOS when Swiss multi-zone or German SMB hosting adjacency fits better. Prefer AWS/Azure/GCP when you need global regions, proprietary PaaS breadth, or deep hyperscaler ecosystems. Prefer Open Telekom Cloud / T Cloud Public when German Telekom-group operator, DE/NL/CH twin-core regions, OpenStack public-cloud scale, and BSI C5/TISAX/sector addenda drive the shortlist.

Open Telekom Cloud launched with a Huawei technology partnership (hardware/software). T-Systems states it operates the cloud independently and that third parties cannot tamper with operations. That does not erase supply-chain review for sensitive public-sector or KRITIS contexts. Separately, US CLOUD Act risk is driven by US jurisdiction and US-group processors—not by Chinese OEM presence. Score both topics independently with legal counsel.