BT celebrates 40 years of worldwide communications from West Midlands earth station with reunion for retired employees
BT is calling for retired staff to join in celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of its international communications station in Herefordshire later this year.
Former employees are expected to travel from as far afield as Germany and Australia to mark the occasion.
A series of events are planned at the end of September in the lead-up to the actual anniversary of the international communications hub’s official opening in November.
The reunion for retired staff will take place on Thursday, September 20, and is expected to include a tour to see the latest developments on the site.
Nick Wood, BT’s station manager, said: “We have a network of retired employees, but we want to ensure anyone who used to work here gets the chance to be involved. We want to hear from anyone who was based at ‘BT Madley' or stationed off-site but still played an important role in establishing us as a major player in international communications.”
The 218-acre site houses more than 60 satellite dishes and is dominated by three giant aerials, each measuring 32 metres in diameter and weighing 290 tonnes, which are believed to be among the largest working antenna in the world.
Since its opening in 1978, the earth station has played a key role in communicating and broadcasting key world events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the funeral of Princess Diana.
Today, its roles include handling data services for major BT clients in many countries around the world, as well as the television content for outside broadcasts for BT Sport and other broadcasters.
Any retired BT staff who would like more information about the reunion should contact Nick via nick.wood@bt.com.
---ends---
Issued by the BT regional press office. For more information please contact Emma Tennant on 0800 085 0660 or email: emma.tennant@bt.comTwitter: @EmmaTennantBTAll news releases can be accessed on our web site
About BT
BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services. BT consists of six customer-facing lines of business: Consumer, EE, Business and Public Sector, Global Services, Wholesale and Ventures, and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2017, BT Group’s reported revenue was £24,062m with reported profit before taxation of £2,354m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visitwww.btplc.com
