All Allison Kirkby articles
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M&A
BT firms up Italian unit sale to Retelit
Group pens preliminary deal to sell off what remains of BT Italia, but reassures stakeholders that it will “maintain a strong presence” in the country post-transaction. Move continues operator’s international pare-back, provided regulators give it the green light…
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M&A
BT kicks off exclusive talks for Italy exit — report
Asterion-backed Retelit reportedly last bidder standing for BT Italia acquisition as BT continues effort to sell off international assets and focus on a domestic B2B turnaround…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: overseas dealmaking, domestic lobbying
Latest from around BT as Orange and AT&T are reported to be in talks regarding an international asset optimisation deal; UK regulation in focus for Ofcom, Openreach, and its long tail of altnet competitors; 5G SA rolls on; and BT pairs with peers to fulfil PSTN obligations…
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M&A
BT said to explore international options with AT&T, Orange
BT has confirmed it is in early talks with third-parties over a “range of possibilities” for its unloved international assets, with AT&T and Orange reportedly among businesses in early discussions.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: BT’s branding u-turn; EE leads renewed ESN charge
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including a reversal of BT’s consumer branding strategy; new timelines for the Emergency Services Network migration; and next phase of MAUD testing lined up…
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Marketing
BT brand to retain consumer spot after strategy rethink
BT to keep titular brand running alongside EE in the consumer space, reversing a decision to scrap the BT marque. Move reportedly made to retain “older customers” familiar with legacy branding, as BT faces imminent migration of customers onto newer services…
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Innovation (R&D)
BT further sharpens networks focus with innovation strategy shift
MWC 2025: BT Business director Hena Jalil outlines shift in innovation approach to align with broader shift to focus on connectivity rather than non-core verticals. Group continues to build AI expertise in search of new network features and products.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: vendor deals aplenty as BT promotes partners
Latest from BT in a week in which Optiva, RingCentral, Equinix, Cisco, and more are namechecked in expanded or extended deals; Openreach CEO gets on the EV campaign trail; BT wins payout from dismissed class action appeal; more…
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People
BT Peoplewatch: B2B shaken up, ExCo slimmed down
20+ senior and strategic changes across the Group, including: Corporate & Brand lead leaves the top team after just six months; Business overhaul continues; VM O2 exec brought in to lead Mobile at EE; more from the Etc. and innovation fall out…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: sowing XGS-PON seeds; Group restructure advances
Latest from BT, including a rejigged innovation proposition as Tom Guy exits; sale confirmed for Irish enterprise and wholesale business; divestment reportedly in the works for TNT Sports stake; plus more from Openreach and Nokia, diversity and inclusion commitment changes, and new offices in Scotland…
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M&A
BT kicks off talks to exit TNT Sports venture — report
Group reportedly at early stages of discussions to offload 50% stake in venture to Warner Bros. Discovery. Move previously hinted at by BT chief Allison Kirkby, as part of strategy to remove non-core distractions from the operator…
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Innovation (R&D)
BT to create unified innovation function as Division X, Etc. combine
Group seeks to “sharpen” connectivity focus and meet evolving customer needs with new innovation team, under the watch of Tom Meakin’s Strategy & Change team. Longstanding Etc. chief Tom Guy leaves the Group, while Business’s Division X joins forces with the ‘startup from within’…
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Strategy & Change
BT ‘remains committed’ to diversity despite dropping DEI calculator
BT’s decision to drop the diversity, equity, and inclusion targets from its management bonus scheme comes as the corporate world reassesses the benefits of DEI measures. BT claims to be ready to move on with DEI already embedded, but has it reneged on commitments without first meeting targets?
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: patience required after more mixed results
Latest from BT, including an in-depth look at the Group’s Q3 earnings, the new BT Business CEO, and Openreach’s broadband vulnerability; Ireland divestment confirmed; rural Scotland build rolls on; more…
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M&A
BT offloads Irish B2B unit to Cordiant’s Speed Fibre
BT strikes deal with investment group to sell enterprise and wholesale units to Speed Fibre, with completion expected later this year. Move advances CEO Allison Kirkby’s agenda to pare back BT’s international presence, following earlier news of Irish data centre sale…
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Financial & Performance
BT Q3 Guidance: confident but under pressure
Q3 FY24–25: Having reduced revenue targets last quarter, BT now expects to hit FY goals even if under pressure to deliver in final three months.
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Financial & Performance
BT Q3 Spend: savings on track thanks to job cuts, network upgrades
Q3 FY24–25: Efficiencies delivered through headcount cull and fibre migrations, with BT on track to hit financial savings targets…
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Financial & Performance
BT Q3 In-depth: talk is good, but seeing will be believing
Q3 FY24–25: CEO Allison Kirkby remains optimistic about FY despite shaky Q3, but goalpost-moving last quarter left expectations low. The headlines are much the same: Consumer’s woe; Business’s rebirth; Openreach’s fibre charge. While the latter is still BT’s source of good news, there are awkward questions over each of the Group’s CFUs…
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Financial & Performance
BT Q3 Highlights: is the tanker beginning to turn?
Q3 FY24–25: 12-months in and CEO Allison Kirkby continues to impose herself on the Group with yet more executive changes, but the needle on KPIs has scarcely twitched. Management remains optimistic about prospects at Consumer and Openreach, but latest Business reboot smacks of overseas defeat, as Q3 trading update builds on now-familiar ‘wait and see’ mantra…
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M&A
BT Ireland grabs Cordiant’s attention for infra, wholesale sell-off — report
Operator reportedly looking to firm up sale of infrastructure and wholesale business units “in the coming weeks”, advancing Kirkby’s ‘asset-light’ strategy following recent sale of Irish data centres…