Openreach
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Financial & PerformanceGuidance: BT’s difficult Q3 not enough to dampen spirits
Q3 FY25–26: Group reiterates modest forecast of a repeat of last FY’s performance. Promises of an incoming cash flow “inflection” reiterated…
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Financial & PerformanceIn depth: BT loses customers but claims to be building ‘momentum’
Q3 FY25–26: In patchy performance, BT International remains on the turnaround starting line, BT Business is limping heavily, and BT Consumer has not picked up the network advantage baton handed to it by Openreach. The latter, however, continues to put in work to provide management with something positive to talk about…
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Financial & PerformanceBT CEO ‘ignores the noise’ as pressure builds after tepid Q3
Q3 FY25–26: Allison Kirkby dismisses detractors as Q3 earnings underwhelm and reports hint at growing boardroom agitation. “I just keep my head down”, says indomitable CEO.
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Financial & PerformanceBT CEO bullish in face of altnet challenge, Openreach line losses
Q3 FY25–26: Allison Kirkby says BT is biting back amid a fibreco incursion as Openreach passed 21 million premises and tops 38% penetration, but line losses continue to drag and seem to be tempered, not overcome…
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Public AffairsUK gov walks barrier-busting tightrope in bid to ease MDU connectivity headaches
Government sets so-called Barrier Busting Task Force to work, aiming to remove blockers to Gigabit upgrades at multi-dwelling units and apartment blocks. Openreach welcomes the proposals, but Whitehall must avoid giving the incumbent any inadvertent advantage…
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Network & InfraOpenreach joins UK gov’s infra tracking project
Openreach joins the UK government’s National Underground Assets Register, highlighting the potential to reduce accidental damage to its infra and improve rollout efficiency for other businesses by mapping out its network through the scheme…
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Financial & PerformanceIn it for the long haul: BT CEO stays course despite knockbacks
Q2/H1 FY25–26 roundup: Allison Kirkby declares BT to have produced a ‘solid’ six months, and remains bullish on long-term promises, but earnings are yet to reflect efforts as rivals puts pressure on pricing and poach customers…
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Financial & PerformanceGuidance: modest FY to give way for BT’s ambitious 2030 vision
Q2/H1 FY25–26: lack of ambition in FY targets ensures BT remains on track, but end-of-decade goals require transformation acceleration, and soon…
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Financial & PerformanceSpend: BT leaning on AI, job cuts to fuel cost-savings agenda
Q2/H1 FY25–26: cost-cutting agenda running ahead of schedule, and more momentum could be added as AI is deployed more widely and new Chief Digital Officer Peter Leukert gets his hands dirty. Headcount cuts are another major earnings driver as Business and Openreach shrink back…
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Financial & PerformanceIn-depth: BT falling back amid competition
Q2/H1 FY25–26: Group in decline across most metrics of note, but management confident that groundwork (and network) is being laid for a bounce back soon…
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Network & InfraOpenreach turns up the heat on legacy network migration as deadline looms
Access provider wields both carrot and stick in bid to hasten analogue-to-digital migrations, with price hikes and rental discounts among the incentives. Altnet rivals riled, CPs ‘welcome’ the move, and BT/Openreach set to benefit after initial 18-month drag…
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Financial & PerformanceBT CEO snubs fibre M&A, doubling down on Openreach organic growth — despite accelerating line losses
Q2 FY25–26: Allison Kirkby showed little enthusiasm at thought of mopping up fibre altnets as part of much-anticipated consolidation, instead insisting Openreach is best focused on its own game, and set up to beat any incursion — notwithstanding line losses accelerating alarmingly…
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Network & InfraOpenreach expands role as Project Gigabit contract sweeper-upper
Openreach picks up Project Gigabit premises previously allocated to UK altnet Voneus, seeing the incumbent add another lot of homes to its Call-Off collection…
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Public Affairs‘Enormously aggressive’: nexfibre leads altnet complaints against Openreach copper-to-fibre discounting
Connected Britain 2025: As Openreach pulls levers to combat massive broadband losses, and drive fibre adoption alongside, altnet leaders have called out the discount pricing strategy as unsustainable. nexfibre execs have called it an exploitation of the incumbent’s significant market powers, CityFibre warns of structure advantage, plus views from other altnets, rivals…
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InnovationOpenreach taps VR startup for 3D fibre planning
Openreach adds another weapon to its fibre building arsenal through Glasgow startup, using VR mapping to accelerate the cable routing process.
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Public AffairsBT’s Kirkby pulls no punches in review of UK regulatory, fiscal policy
Connected Britain: Allison Kirkby lets loose on Downing Street policy, with greater fiscal certainty needed to fund much-needed infra investment and AI adoption. Regulatory policy comes in for inevitable criticism too, as the BT boss sets the scene for the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget and Ofcom’s pending Telecoms Access Review…
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Public AffairsOpenreach lobbies for regulatory flexibility as fibrecos take market share, struggle with debt
Openreach’s regulatory lead is twisting Ofcom’s arm to give it pricing freedom in regions where it faces two rivals. VM O2 and CityFibre contend that a firm hand is required to protect still fragile competition. While altnets are winning market share, their lenders are nervous…
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Financial & PerformanceQ1: BT backers rewarded as confidence remains high
Q1 FY25–26: Group share price ticks up 50% in a year, boosted by Q1 earnings, suggesting Allison Kirkby’s new manager bounce has been sustained. Whether this will continue may well depend on BT’s ability to reverse current trends, as downtrodden business and consumer units continue to fall, despite Openreach best efforts…
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Financial & PerformanceQ1 Guidance: BT unmoved by early trouble
Q1 FY25–26: Management reconfirms full-year guidance, with defiance made easier thanks to pessimistic outlook as laid out three months prior. Vague notions of ‘growth’ remain the target by the end of the decade…
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Financial & PerformanceQ1 In depth: BT boss claims ‘solid start’ despite shaky numbers
Q1 FY25–26: CEO Allison Kirkby persistent in long term strategy, but first quarter results put things in perspective. BT Business the usual headache; BT Consumer finds positives despite the headlines; and Openreach cements its reputation as a resilient source of resilient good news…