BT Group, headquartered in the UK, is expanding its Global Fabric services in collaboration with two tech giants, Equinix and Optiva. Building on existing contracts, these partnerships aim to enhance BT’s service offerings to multinational enterprises worldwide.
The arrangement with Equinix significantly boosts BT’s Global Fabric platform. This platform connects local metro-edge cloud and network services, enabling enterprises to access faster computing services via local operators and data center partners. Currently, it spans over 30 Equinix data centers and is projected to extend to more than 40 within the year. “This will span the world’s top 30 business locations covering 95 per cent of the world’s cloud interconnection traffic,” BT stated.
Set to launch commercially in early 2025, BT’s Global Fabric service promises a substantial footprint, claiming points of presence in 50 major cloud data centers. As the number of data centers increases, BT plans to have 140 across 40 countries. BT describes its Global Fabric as one of the largest network-as-a-service platforms, aiming to align with international firms’ operational and regulatory needs.
This service offers direct coverage of hyperscaler clouds and high-bandwidth connections to over 700 data centers. It also integrates with APIs, aligning with the industry’s growing focus on open 5G networks. This allows customers to incorporate connectivity into other business platforms swiftly. BT emphasized the contrast with legacy networks, where setting up connectivity could take weeks, whereas with Global Fabric, it’s instant.
Meanwhile, BT’s partnership with Optiva focuses on business-to-business and ‘B2B-to-anything’ services. The newest collaboration enhances BT’s Application Server platform, incorporating Optiva Charging Engine and Open API frameworks. This advancement aids BT in developing innovative services and opening new revenue channels.
The platform upgrade in 2024 transitioned BT from outdated technology, modernizing services and expanding 5G network coverage. The new platform facilitates rapid deployment and integration capabilities, providing flexible creation environments. Currently, BT and Optiva are pushing the platform to new levels by integrating B2B services. This will elevate network convergence capabilities with flexibility, including any-core network access, modern APIs, and autonomous operations.
