All United Kingdom (UK) articles – Page 69
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InnovationBT shines light on AI in the East
Adastral Park R&D facility takes centre stage in inaugural Artificial Intelligence Festival. East of England emerges as UK hub for AI research and innovation. BT asserts AI thought leadership and is UK’s top AI patent filer. Group’s use of AI aligns with telco peers, but recent moves suggest bigger ...
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PeopleO2 looks to Mexico for access network leadership
Telefónica Mexico CTIO has replaced O2’s exiting Brendan O’Reilly on CTIL board and is taking a broader network leadership role in the UK. Successfully piloting Movistar Mexico’s customer migration to the AT&T access network means incoming Calvo may be able to offer valuable support as Virgin Media/O2 tie-up draws ...
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PremiumOpenreach NI fibre plan stirs up Project Stratum
Openreach Northern Ireland on track to exceed FY20–21 full-fibre target. Overlap emerges with Openreach plan and publicly funded project. NI leads UK with highest full-fibre availability.
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PremiumBT under fire in long-running NI public sector projects
Northern Ireland Assembly report slams contract extensions awarded to BT Group that cost taxpayers £120m. While civil servants displayed “indifference”, BT “ran rings” around them.
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PremiumBT going it alone with Shared Rural Network plans
O2, Three, and Vodafone reach agreement to construct more than 220 new 4G masts by 2024, taking partial ‘not-spot’ coverage to 84% of UK landmass. Sites will cover areas BT/EE already reach, with “historic investment” seemingly respected, per Allera’s request. Frozen out of initial announcement, BT updated on its ...
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PremiumVirgin Media’s foray into 5G signals end of BT era
All Virgin Media subscribers expected to leave BT network by early-2022. BT highlights “healthy pipeline” of new MVNO business opportunities.
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InnovationVodafone ups the ante on drone innovation
Dutch, German, and UK trials flag recent progress in autonomous and unmanned flight. Ericsson emerges as important co-pilot.
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Financial & PerformanceBudget 2021: BT benefits but won’t move investment dial
Chancellor Sunak eyes investment-backed build-back. Short term tax break to bolster BT infrastructure expansion. However, gains will be “offset in later years”, and no movement on BT’s number one priority — business rates relief.
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PeopleBT’s HR chief admits bumps in Better Workplace plan
Pandemic holds up plan to concertina down to 30 regional hubs, although some movement is expected in 2021. HR Director recognises the need to maintain hybrid working practices even after the pandemic has subsided.
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Network & InfraHoward Watson eyes 2027 as open RAN opportunity
Huawei 5G kit replacement in line with 2027 deadline an opportunity for urban commercial open RAN deployment. BT expects to stick with dual key vendor policy, but hopes to see more choice. Huawei kit still being rolled out as BT juggles network plans with government demands.
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Partnerships & AlliancesBT taps OneWeb for rural coverage leg up
Talks confirmed, but nothing advanced. Back from brink, state-backed OneWeb offers BT space-based alternative to cable. 0.6% of UK households still without “decent” broadband connectivity, according to Ofcom.
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Partnerships & AlliancesBT activates go-to-market accelerator
Scheme provides immediate growth opportunities to participating scale-ups. Operator supports UK-wide sustainability push via provision of smart energy services. Possible application of green-tech in healthcare sector being explored.
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InnovationTestbeds and Trials: many roads to 5G for BT
Two private networks in the West Midlands to be switched on, powering manufacturing modernisation in the region, underpinned by BT infrastructure. BT/EE powers two projects in state-backed 5G Create funding call.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Group: BT Sourced gets hiring
New procurement team hiring; revamp of Plymouth office by 2022; BT hoping to go greener through PPAs.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Consumer: spectrum auction looms
UK spectrum auction inches closer, although Ofcom still cautious; Digital Voice expansion; rights picked up in MotoGP and cricket.
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PremiumElsewhere in BT Enterprise: Redcare goes all-IP
Redcare goes all-IP; Enterprise commissions 3D art for latest ad campaign.
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Strategy & ChangeElsewhere in Openreach: ADTRAN switched on
ADTRAN kit up and running; Ofcom Connected Nations report shows full-fibre progress; Gigabit Vouchers start showing worth.
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Public AffairsOpenreach strike action goes ahead
Strike underway in row over engineer pay grade restructuring. Industrial action described as a ‘wake-up call’ for the whole of BT amidst wider unrest.
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Network & InfraVirgin Media preps Lightning for post-JV world
Liberty Global confident of JV clearance, and anticipates Telefónica talks on ambitious and aggressive fixed-line rollout. Liberty’s Sky relationship appears key, with prospects for collaboration heightened by a friendly face at the helm. Meanwhile, Virgin Media appears to be finally embracing PIA from Openreach for cheaper fibre rollout.