Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Europe, is exploring new revenue streams and boosting network security by becoming a validator for Ethereum layer-2 scaling platform, Polygon. This move will make the company one of 100 validators providing staking and validation services for the network and Polygon’s Supernets solution.
Polygon is a crucial layer-2 solution in the Ethereum ecosystem, offering developers a range of scaling solutions, including zero-knowledge rollups, sidechains, and data availability protocols. Deutsche Telekom’s consulting and software development service, Deutsche Telekom MMS, will operate as a Polygon validator for its parent company. This move is expected to secure Polygon’s proof-of-stake sidechain and Supernets chain, improving security, governance, and decentralization of the protocols.
As a validator, the firm will run a full node, produce blocks, validate and participate in the network’s consensus, and commit checkpoints to the Ethereum mainnet. According to Dirk Röde, Deutsche Telekom’s Blockchain Solutions Center head, supporting the Polygon network as a validator is a big milestone in its aim to be an important player in Web3 infrastructure.
Deutsche Telekom is not new to validating blockchain protocols, as it already serves as a validator for Q, Flow, Celo, Chainlink, and Ethereum. The company aims to serve institutional clients as a reliable enterprise-grade staking provider. Röde added that leveraging the company’s infrastructure as a validator while monetizing the native token of the underlying blockchain network provides Deutsche Telekom with a “dependable, novel and scalable source of income.”
The potential for more mainstream telecommunications companies moving into Web3 infrastructure could catalyze greater decentralization of various proof-of-stake blockchains operated by validators. In a decentralized ecosystem, it should be the goal to have a diverse and reliable validator set. Deutsche Telekom’s move could pave the way for more mainstream businesses to embrace blockchain technology, further driving decentralization.
Polygon recently announced a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to drive the development of the Ethereum scaling protocol’s zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine and zero-knowledge proof scaling solution. As Polygon continues to grow and foster partnerships with mainstream businesses, the future of Web3 infrastructure looks promising.
In conclusion, Deutsche Telekom’s move to become a validator for Polygon highlights the potential for Web3 infrastructure to bring in new revenue streams for telecommunications companies and drive decentralization. As more mainstream companies begin to explore opportunities in the blockchain space, it’s likely that decentralization of various proof-of-stake blockchains operated by validators will increase, paving the way for more use cases and adoption in the Web3 ecosystem. With this partnership, Polygon is set to gain more credibility and trust from institutions, furthering the development of Ethereum layer-2 scaling solutions.
