An attendee inspects a concept application-free AI-powered smartphone at the Deutsche Telekom AG booth on the opening day of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Credit: Getty Images / Angel Garcia / Bloomberg

German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, owner of T-Mobile, showcased a smartphone concept that entirely relies on AI instead of applications on Monday (26 February), the first day of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference in Barcelona.

An app-less AI-powered smartphone is an entirely new concept. Deutsche Telekom has removed everything traditionally found in modern phones, including text messages, video games, banking and social media.

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The telecom company’s concept, dubbed T-phone, has been developed in partnership with US intelligent computing company Qualcomm and Brain. 

Talking at the MWC, Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges said that nobody will use apps five to ten years from now, according to Reuters.

The T-phone will be able to respond to user prompts, provide tailored recommendations to its owner, buy products, and send photos and videos to contacts, Deutsche Telekom said in a presentation. 

“The showcased product reflects Deutsche Telekom’s belief that multi- and crossmodal large language models will soon become integral to devices, enhancing and simplifying the lives of its customers,” the company added.

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The MWC has brought together technology and telecom companies to launch new products and concepts, with AI integration a primary focus this year.

According to GlobalData forecasts, the total AI market, including software, hardware, and services, will be worth $383.3bn in 2030, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.4% from $81.3bn in 2022.

The global specialised AI applications market will be worth $146bn in 2030, up from $31.1bn in 2022 at a CAGR of 21.3%