Germans to register for De-Mail through Hermes parcel shops
German consumers will be able to sign up for the new digital mail service De-Mail through Hermes Parcel Shops, after its official launch on Friday. The secure electronic letter and document delivery service will be the major rival in Germany to Deutsche Post DHL’s E-Postbrief service.
It has been developed this year by an alliance of companies including telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom, software firm Mentana-Claimsoft and mail company TNT Post Germany.
As well as electronic delivery of messages, the new service will also offer options like hybrid mail, where electronic messages can be converted to physical mail for delivery by TNT Post.
But as a secure digital mail service, users need to register in person with a valid ID card.
TNT Post, which is the company tasked with verifying users’ identities for the new service, said this will be done through Hermes Germany’s network of 14,000 Parcel Shops.
Hermes, the parcel delivery company owned by catalogue retailer Otto Group, owns a 29% stake in TNT Post Germany, a joint venture with Dutch postal operator PostNL.
Hermes Parcel Shops are located within half a kilometre from most people within urban areas, the company said. Registration can also take place in any of the 750 Deutsche Telekom shops around the country.
TNT Post Germany chief executive Michael Mews, said: “Our goal is that we want to offer the most convenient points for De-Mail registration that is both fast and safe at the same time.”
“Important new channel”
De-mail will be the second digital mail service that complies with the requirements of Germany’s De-Mail Law, which came into force in May 2011 seeking to establish secure electronic communications channels to allow business, legal and government communications to switch to digital means. Deutsche Post DHL’s E-Postbrief was the first to comply with the law.
Deutsche Telekom says by 2018, 29% of the 17.5bn letters and 39% of the 5.4bn faxes sent each year in Germany could be sent through de-mail.
It says a million people have already reserved de-mail addresses through the new service prior to launch, while the number of businesses expressing interest in using the new platform for communications is now in five digits.
Financial companies Targobank and Allianz have already said they will use the service.
Dr Alexander Vollert, board member of Allianz Germany, said: “De-Mail is an important new channel for a legally secure electronic communications. De-Mail replaces the often necessary physical signature, thus offering an alternative to hand-signed letters and faxes.
“This saves our customers time and money, and significantly accelerates our electronic processing. In De-Mail we see another important building block in the digitisation of our customer relationship.”
