Bharti Global’s acquisition of a significant stake in BT Group marks a pivotal moment in the telecom industry. As the largest shareholder, it reinforces Bharti’s investment confidence and BT’s future potential.
BT Group has reported a slight revenue increase to £20.8 billion, a 1% rise from last year, driven by price hikes for broadband customers, robust sales of fibre products in Openreach, and growth in the consumer division. However, the company’s pre-tax profits dropped sharply by 31%, falling to £1.18 billion, despite a 2% rise in adjusted EBITDA, which reached £8.1 billion.
BT Group has taken a bold step into the future of content delivery with an innovative concept known as Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery (MAUD). This technology takes a fresh approach, replacing the traditional individual internet stream with a more efficient consolidated flow. Not only is this technology seamless for consumers, it also delivers substantial resource savings. Furthermore, in an era of environmental consciousness, MAUD offers up to a 50% bandwidth reduction during peak times, resulting in lower energy usage.
With BT Group’s current CEO Philip Jansen’s departure on the horizon, the telecommunications industry is abuzz as Telia’s top-notch leader Allison Kirkby is slated to step into his shoes in 2024. Equipped with a celebrated career within the telecom sector and experience as a non-executive director at BT since 2019, Kirkby’s ascension is anxiously anticipated.
BT’s Digital Unit achieves a milestone as the first telco to complete the EDM Council cloud assessment, paving the way for efficient data management and strategic cloud implementations while ensuring data protection and control.
BT’s innovative mobile site in Shropshire exemplifies the future of sustainable connectivity by utilizing solar panels and a wind turbine, generating 70% renewable energy. This eco-friendly approach promises economic benefits and highlights BT’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
BT has launched the GenAI Gateway, an advanced platform designed to integrate large language models (LLMs) into their operations, boosting VoIP solutions. Developed with AWS, this platform centralizes access to AI models from leading providers like Anthropic and Meta, enhancing VoIP service delivery with robust security and flexible AI tools.
BT Group and Edgio are revolutionizing live television streaming with the first Content Delivery Network (CDN) enabled by Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery (MAUD) technology. This collaboration promises reduced costs, improved content quality, and scalable, sustainable streaming practices.
TalkTalk, the UK’s fourth-largest broadband provider, is seeking £200 million in urgent funding to prevent collapse. Facing £1 billion in debt, the company aims to meet repayment deadlines by restructuring and attracting new investors. Despite serving 3.8 million customers, mounting debt pressures have amplified financial insecurities amidst fierce competition.
BT Group, Nokia, and Qualcomm have successfully tested 5G Standalone (SA) 5CC carrier aggregation at Adastral Park, making BT the first European operator to achieve this milestone. Utilizing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF system and Nokia’s 5G AirScale portfolio, the tests achieved downlink speeds of 1.85 Gbps, highlighting the potential of 5G SA.
