All Simon Lowth articles
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Analyst BriefingBTwatch: BT gets its AI wings, swoops on enterprise opportunity
Analyst Briefing: CEO Allison Kirkby happy with progress at the Group in the FY, but with the usual room for improvement across all divisions. B2B gets busy with AI, cybersecurity, and MVNOs at the fore; B2C gets mobile; and the ‘transformation’ machine rolls towards another 40,000+ job cuts…
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Financial & PerformanceBT boss ‘having fun’ amid transformation challenge, industry noise, global turbulence
FY25–26: CEO Allison Kirkby relishing challenge two years in, claiming progress in place and runway for more through further cost-cutting, a B2B reset, and Consumer momentum leveraging Openreach strengths. Conversion still lacking, but management not short of optimism…
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Financial & PerformanceBT ‘on the right path’ but braced for near-term decline
FY25–26: Expectations set for marginal revenue decline in coming FY, but management confident in medium-term prospects as capex tapers and free cash flow balloons.
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Financial & PerformanceBT hunts for further cuts
FY25–26: after delivering its first £3bn savings goal ahead of time, and kicking on with another immediately after, BT has now expanded the programme by £700m and given itself an extra year to hit the new target.
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Financial & PerformanceBT’s retrenchment puts domestic struggles under the spotlight
FY25–26: BT claims to be delivering on its UK-focused, next-gen network-led strategy, but continues to struggle with outcomes as revenue falls and familiar problems in B2B hold the Group back.
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Financial & Performance‘Maestro’ Selley handed licence to ‘get radical’ in BT International revival
FY25–26: global B2B division may be smaller and more focused but challenge remains acute, with veteran CEO parachuted in to steer turnaround just as sell-off rumour mill spins up again.
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Financial & PerformanceBT’s TNT Sports write-down prompts a reset as exit options emerge
Losing flagship football broadcasting rights mean the joint venture is nearing a subscription revenue cliff edge, but prompts a TNT reset after years of massive rights payments and losses — just as BT’s subscriptions commitments draw to a close and exit options open up.
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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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Financial & PerformanceBT says Consumer ‘holding up’, despite ARPU slide — rejects MVNO B-brand
Q2/H1 FY25–26: UK incumbent ready to “compete and defend” against budget-focused rivals, doubling-down on unchanging multi-brand and convergence retail strategies. But lag in system means premium-first efforts are yet to be reflected in poor financials…
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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 & InfraBT taps Starlink to ‘bridge’ fibre gaps in rural reaches
UK telco becomes the latest operator to tie with Starlink to improve rural connectivity offerings for customers. “Landmark” deal follows experimentation with the technology in recent years, with rivals having unveiled their own satellite connectivity plans…
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Strategy & ChangeIndian magnate joins BT board to give long-term investor Bharti a voice at the top
BT Group’s largest shareholder Bharti Enterprises firms up relationship to secure two boardroom seats.
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Analyst BriefingBTwatch Analyst Briefing: tracking BT’s rise
Q1 FY25–26 special: BT’s star continues to rise, with valuation now 50% higher than when CEO Allison Kirkby took over, despite a shaky start to the FY. Consumer and Business fall further back, but ol’ reliable Openreach and its trusty fibre machine is driving the Group forward…
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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 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…
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PeoplewatchBT poaches VM O2 finance chief as Lowth’s exit confirmed
Patricia Cobian, CFO at Virgin Media O2, is to join rival BT next year, with current CFO Simon Lowth set to retire. BT CEO Allison Kirkby said Cobian brings “invaluable” experience that will help drive BT’s transformation and strategy…