All TelcoTitans.com articles in BTwatch #318
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Digital ReportsBTwatch Report #318 – December 2020
Key stories include: UK picks open RAN to shore up supply chain | BT’s rolling procurement revolution | Key UC role for RingCentral | VMware secures SD-WAN entry | Fibre fair bet progress
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PeopleIT transformation lead Rachel Higham leaves BT
Higham, Managing Director of IT, leaves a vacancy currently plugged by key lieutenant Mark O’Flaherty. Exec appointed CIO at advertising giant WPP. Self-styled “Chief Sherpa” leaves with substantial transformation work still to be done, despite marked progress.
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Network & InfrastructureOfcom hints at ten-year “fair bet” timeframe for BT
Openreach to be unconstrained on full-fibre pricing until 2031 under proposed plans from the regulator. Jansen claims he would rather have a cap on returns, and more time. Fellow infrastructure builders happy with clarity, but Openreach customer TalkTalk unhappy with impact on wholesale. Regulatory clarity may kickstart discussions on ...
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PeopleKatie Milligan takes Openreach chair in Scotland
Milligan, Openreach MD for Customer, Commercial & Propositions, to become Chairman of the Scotland Board in 2021. Scottish know-how tapped for unique regional challenges. 40-year veteran Brendan Dick to vacate the spot.
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Network & InfrastructureUK gets on with life after Huawei
New 5G Diversification Strategy and Telecommunications (Security) Bill expected to introduce tough new network security expectations on operators, while attempting to reduce the risks associated with over-reliance on Ericsson and Nokia. Government backing open standards, and particularly open RAN, to create a diverse supply chain, but relative lack of ...
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Products & ServicesBT enhances cloud phone platform with RingCentral
RingCentral-based unified comms service is given bigger remit and brand refresh.
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Public AffairsBT Italia accounting scandal to court, as Group retreats
Court of Milan fixes trial date in 2021. 20 defendants in the dock, including two former senior BT execs. Alvarez spared. Patterson concedes BT was an absent parent. TIM snaffling SME and public sector accounts, but BT retaining MNC presence and local assets.
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Public AffairsOpenreach Monitoring Unit report card: pass
Monitoring unit warns against complacency in safeguarding strategic independence. Pricing and PIA implementation remain areas of concern.
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Partnerships & AlliancesBT makes managed SD-WAN play with VMware
New “cloud-optimised” SD-WAN management solution aims to give MNCs more control, boost performance, and enhance security. VMware SD-WAN supported by BT consultants tasked with advising customers. Just the start of the partners’ software-defined network services collaboration.
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Network & InfrastructureGovernment backpedals on fibre: industry on its own
Improbable goal of universal gigabit coverage abandoned by UK government. £5bn investment plans massively watered down in latest Spending Review. BT critical of retreat. Regulatory environment and sketchy plans for gigabit BDUK could play into Openreach hands.
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Partnerships & AlliancesUniversity of Warwick unveils first public 5G campus
BT delivers commercial 5G campus network across 720 acres. 5G testbed in the works. Regional business innovation again in the spotlight.
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Public AffairsBT calls for broadband USO rework amid pricing row
Ofcom investigating excessive costings for new connections. BT fires back with calls to make rural connectivity a viable shared endeavour. State-salvaged OneWeb satellite service namechecked as potential enabler. BT also calls for clarity on £5bn rural full-fibre subsidy.
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Products & ServicesBT Sport App enters a new reality
BT Sport App upgrade showcases 5G capabilities. 5G Edge-XR project starting to bear fruit. Support crew of specialist partners, including outreach startups.
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Network & InfrastructureUK plots 5G future sans Huawei
BT suggests Adastral Park would be a natural home for parts of the proposed National Telecoms Lab.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Enterprise: full fibre rollout takes on public sector sites
IDNet migrating analogue voice to Hosted Communications; Smart Messaging adds Google RBM.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Group: Bristol named a new BT home
New Bristol office for 2,000 by 2022; Centrical-SAP training platform for 150,000; 99.9% of electricity now renewable internationally.
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PremiumElsewhere in Openreach: FTTP rollout quickens
Fibrus gets one over Openreach in Northern Ireland; FTTP rollout quickens pace; Openreach engineer hospitalised after attack in April 2020.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Technology: EE joins in on 4G small-cell standards
EE joins peers to lay out 4G small-cell standards; BT flags potential commercial trials of Infinera XR Optics.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Consumer: Northern Irish retail gets a boost
BT builds out high street presence in NI; EE dawdles in Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme.
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Suppliers & SCMUK tightens screws on telcos over Huawei
Government plans to tackle lack of diversity in upcoming new 5G strategy.