Bharti Enterprises to acquire majority stake in BT

Bharti Enterprises has announced plans to acquire a majority stake in BT, the UK’s largest broadband and mobile provider.

Bharti will purchase approximately 24.5% of BT Group from its current top shareholder, Altice. The acquisition will be executed through Bharti Global, the international investment arm of Bharti Enterprises.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, commented on the historical significance of this move: "Bharti and BT have an...

12 August 2024 | 5G

Ofcom hits BT with £17.5M fine over emergency call system failure

Ofcom has imposed a £17.5 million fine on BT for its inadequate preparedness in handling a major disruption to its emergency call service last summer. The incident, which occurred on 25 June 2023, left nearly 14,000 emergency call attempts unsuccessful and potentially put lives at risk.

The failure, described as "catastrophic," affected BT's ability to connect calls to emergency services for over 10 hours, from 06:24 to 16:56. During this period, 12,392 different callers were...

22 July 2024 | Legislation & Government

BT highlights the role of satellites in future-proofing networks

BT recently hosted an event at their Madley Communications Centre, drawing a mix of public and private sector guests to explore the influence of satellite technologies in today’s communication networks.

The Madley site, nestled in the Herefordshire countryside and spanning 63 acres, is regarded as BT’s main satellite earth station. As the demand for diverse and resilient communication solutions climbs, the centre’s role in the company’s network strategy has never been more...

13 May 2024 | Hot Topics

BT and Global to upgrade legacy payphones through 10-year digital partnership

BT and Global, the Media & Entertainment Group, have formed a 10-year partnership to upgrade the nation’s legacy payphones and roll out more digital hubs for local communities.

The partnership is expected to provide better connectivity and hyper-local advertising in more than 200 towns and cities across the UK. Global will also continue to represent BT’s street furniture advertising sales for the next decade.

BT Group’s street furniture estate covers...

27 March 2024 | 5G

BT boosts developer productivity with Amazon’s generative AI coding assistant

BT Group's Digital unit has announced the deployment of Amazon CodeWhisperer, a generative AI coding assistant from Amazon Web Services (AWS). This marks a significant step in the company's drive for modernisation, efficiency, and improved tooling for its workforce.

CodeWhisperer provides real-time AI-powered code suggestions, from snippets to full functions, in multiple integrated development environments (IDEs). It leverages natural language comments and existing code to support...

20 February 2024 | Digital Transformation

BT updates price hike policy ahead of new regulations

BT is overhauling its policy on mid-contract price hikes ahead of strict new regulations being imposed by the UK's communications regulator Ofcom. The company said it will stop linking price rises to inflation and instead specify clearly in monetary terms what increases customers can expect. 

The move comes after Ofcom found last year that the way telecoms companies raise prices lacks transparency and can be confusing for consumers. Under BT's current model, tariffs are adjusted...

17 January 2024 | 5G

BT introduces MAUD technology for enhanced live content

BT has introduced Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery (MAUD), a technology aimed at revolutionising the delivery of live content over the internet.

Unlike traditional 'unicast' delivery – which relies on individual internet streams for each viewer – MAUD employs 'multicast' to group these streams into a shared one, reaching multiple viewers simultaneously.

MAUD also integrates seamlessly with player applications, eliminating the need for content service providers to...

8 January 2024 | Broadband

BT misses Huawei equipment ban deadline

The deadline set by the UK government for telecoms operators to remove Huawei equipment from their core networks has elapsed, with BT falling a bit short.

In November 2022, the government issued formal legal notices to telecoms operators – including BT – outlining their obligations to eliminate Huawei kit due to security concerns. 

The initial deadline of 28 January 2023 was later extended to 31 December 2023 as several operators expressed difficulties in...

2 January 2024 | 5G

BT offers up 1,000 iconic red phone boxes for conversions

As the iconic red phone box approaches its centenary milestone, BT is offering the chance to repurpose around 1,000 of these historic kiosks scattered across the UK.

The brainchild of architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the first rendition of the famous red phone box emerged from a design competition in 1924. However, the surge in mobile phone usage among 98 percent of the adult population has all but eliminated payphone usage nationwide.

Michael Smy, Head of Street at...

17 August 2023 | Operators

BT partners with NATS to modernise UK air traffic operations

BT has established a seven-year partnership with NATS, a leading provider of air traffic control services.

The strategic collaboration aims to bolster NATS' technological foundation, creating a robust and adaptable network architecture to support air traffic operations across the UK.

NATS currently manages a staggering 2.5 million flights annually, underscoring the critical role it plays in ensuring safe and efficient air travel. The new long-term contract with BT is...

15 August 2023 | Networks