Deutsche Telekom is setting up a healthcare joint venture with HÄVG, a subsidiary of Germany's association of general practioners.  Based in Cologne, the new venture will offer IT support for contract settlement in healthcare, for instance between doctors and insurance companies. The new venture will build its own data centre to handle the traffic generated.  The German operator will be the majority shareholder in the new venture with HÄVG holding the remaining interest. The Federal Cartel Office has yet to rule on whether the venture can go ahead.  

The approach is a continuation of Deutsche Telekom’s existing strategy of offering to move digital healthcare data securely via its IT systems.. Earlier this year it increased its existing stake in HMM Deutschland, a specialist in offering network services to the healthcare sector by linking firms such as health insurers, pharmacies and medical suppliers