All articles by Alex Birkhead
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M&ADiscovery JV: BT Sport to be unbundled from BT
Another twist to the tale as BT and Discovery enter exclusive discussions. Jansen indicates agreement encompasses Eurosport UK and ‘Discovery app’, hinting at sports content tie‑up; says deal has “no downsides”. The move could be a huge blow to DAZN, which appeared to have secured an $800m buyout.
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Financial & Performance
BT Q3: king of a still‑wobbly hill
Corporate weakness postpones recovery, with BT Global recuperating and BT Enterprise still in surgery. Rational rivals embraced, but warned of “Armageddon scenario”, with Sky current BFF. Discovery tie-up a win-win for BT Sport (but what about for BT itself?). Openreach charges on, hitting new records for FTTP connections and ...
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Network & Infrastructure
Telefónica España shifts data analytics to cloud with Teradata
Teradata’s Vantage said to have offered “fastest and lowest-risk” cloud analytics migration project. Extends long-term Teradata relationship to migrate from on-premise. Taps into Group’s Google Cloud data lake.
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Financial & Performance
Q1 FY21–21: Consumer slips into recover mode
Work in progress to deliver on the converged, addvalue dream. Initial pandemic bounce back benefits BT Sport, but mobile still in hibernation. Strong performance on FTTP, but rivals stepping up.
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Financial & Performance
Q1 FY21–22: Enterprise down but not out
Bad ‘old’ still swamping the ‘new’. Positives in an order book rebound and improved EBITDA. Shuter has a huge task to pivot the division, but clear opportunity for ‘New BT’.
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Financial & Performance
Q1 FY21–22: Global retains Jansen’s support in adversity
Digging beneath the barrel to find positives in Q1. Jansen a true believer who sees Global keeping pace with peers, buffeted by forces beyond its control, and well placed along with Enterprise to boost BT when corporate and public sector business bounces back.
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Financial & Performance
Q1 FY21–22: Openreach shines again
It just looks so easy to upgrade and migrate the nation to fibre and IP while keeping a pack of massively funded jackals at bay. Even the odd slip looks like a sign of inherent strength. All key KPIs improving … and Gfast, too.
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Network & Infrastructure
Jansen now sees BT chasing 30 million premises with full‑fibre
Extra five million presented as ‘infill’ and presumably more rural. Immediate competitive riposte to news of Virgin Media O2 FTTP retrofit, which it neatly doubles. Jansen says BT not concerned, but challenger altnets should be. No rush for fibre JV partner, but Jansen reveals a UK compatriot would be ...
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Financial & Performance
BT Q1 FY21–22: another toughie, but with promise(s)
Q1 reiterated as a road to a recovery that will materialise in H2. Consumer reviving but Global eponymously damned. Microsoft deal more than slideware. Virgin Media–O2 FTTP investment could be a backhanded compliment and gift to BT.
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People
Vodafone’s Ethiopian OpCo gets a leader
Anwar Soussa takes job as first MD of as‑yet‑unnamed OpCo. Industry veteran brings M‑PESA experience. EOC plans and ownership remain vague.
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Financial & Performance
Q4 FY20–21 — Enterprise judders; next stop Shuter’s refit
Hybrid display of worst of Consumer and best of Enterprise. Shuter’s makeover blueprint to be unveiled at Business Briefing. Almost entirely ignored by Jansen and Lowth on analyst’s call.
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Financial & Performance
Q4 FY20–21 — Hot property Openreach unruffled as ever
Smoothly navigating fibre, pandemic and all‑IP. Gearing up to steamroll the fibre landscape. Altnets seen taking great share of Openreach fibre.
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Financial & Performance
Q4 FY20–21 — Global’s resilience sapped by pandemic
COVID-19 impact hitting more KPIs. Jansen and Lowth retain faith. Growth plans pinned on SD-WAN, managed security, and now 5G FWA.
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Financial & Performance
Q4 FY20–21 — Consumer’s sporting chances
Pandemic is serialising Consumer’s A Tale of Three Brands in quarterly instalments. Two steps backward: premium vision at odds with painful realities of ARPU and competitive reality. 2021 bounce (and digitalisation progress) cannot come soon enough, but growth seen backloaded. Latest FTTP chapter set to ...
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M&A
BT’s uninvited new co-pilot: what’s Drahi’s mission?
Altice buys minority stake but claims no intention of full-fledged takeover. Seeks to support BT’s strategic fibre, for which Drahi has genuine zeal. BTwatch explores industrial logic and financial machinations behind move.
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Profile
Which Drahi has BT got itself entangled with?
Altice empire expands into UK. Drahi: a fibre visionary or ruthless financer? Does BT investment represent change of tack by rapacious wheeler-dealer?
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Financial & Performance
Destination: new BT; ETA 2026
Jansen again evangelising glorious digital future: five‑year timescale reiterated, with promises of peak fibre investment passing and financial nirvana arriving. Stability predicted for FY21–22. Investors more interested in gruel on today’s menu rather than jam promised tomorrow. The court of public opinion may ultimately rule on ...
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Financial & Performance
BT Global Q3 FY20–21 — still hitting the hard numbers
Global benefits from past surgery.
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Financial & Performance
BT Enterprise Q3 FY20–21 — down but not yet out
Enterprise continues struggle.
