During the two-week trial, a dedicated slice of the EE 5G network was partitioned for use in the renowned Lavery’s Beer Tent to support its eight mobile payment terminals, enabling superfast card and mobile payments for thousands of customers – even during the market’s busiest periods. It marks the first time that a business has benefitted from access to a partitioned slice from EE’s public network and live 5G Standalone core.

Network slicing uses 5G Standalone technology, which BT Group launched last September, to provide a customer with a protected ‘slice’ of the network for assured performance, boosting connectivity speeds and lowering latency by minimising congestion and unlocking bespoke capacity for businesses.

The trial successfully demonstrated the capability of network slicing to bypass congestion in busy locations and keep businesses connected through dedicated quality of service. 

It follows the availability of 5G standalone connectivity for BT's small business customers as part of the company’s investment in the networks of the future.

Belfast’s Christmas Market, which takes place at Belfast City Hall, sees up to 1.2 million visitors each year, with the Lavery’s beer tent proving among the most popular attractions. As Belfast’s oldest family-owned pub, Lavery’s has been at the heart of the city's social life for over 100 years, and the Christmas Market has been one of the most important dates in its diary for two decades.

Bernard Lavery, Director, Lavery’s, said: "With this being the 20^th year of our festive beer tent, Lavery’s is as synonymous with Belfast Christmas Market as it is with the city itself. In that time, the need to enable fast and reliable mobile payments has only grown thanks to the growing trend towards cashless. BT Group's network slicing capability therefore gives us so much peace of mind, not only in enabling transactions to be completed faster than ever, but also in delivering the dedicated mobile capacity needed to keep our customers happy and queues moving even at the busiest times.”

Paul Murnaghan, BT’s Northern Ireland Director, said: “Businesses increasingly rely on technology that’s able to cope with the demands of the ever-pervasive digital world, securely.  We have all visited a retailer and had the awkward ‘wait while we check’ to see if a payment has been completed correctly.  Network slicing helps tackle this problem by enabling consistently fast and smooth connectivity, critically giving certainty to both traders and customers even when the network is busy in specific locations like Belfast Christmas Market.”

Councillor Ryan Murphy, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic, Policy and Resources Committee, said: “Having access to world-class advanced wireless connectivity is essential for our local businesses. It’s brilliant to see Belfast benefit from BT Group’s first ever real-world deployment of network slicing, helping local business Lavery’s to enhance its operations and provide an even better customer experience at the very popular Belfast Christmas Market.”

Belfast was one of fifteen launch cities to benefit from the arrival of EE’s 5G Standalone network in September 2024, paving the way for BT Group to roll out network slicing for business customers. The company has been investing heavily in futured-proofed network infrastructure across the region to ensure it is ready for the launch of such services.

The real-world deployment at Belfast Christmas Market comes after BT Group successfully demonstrated network slicing for consumer and enterprise use-cases last year at its pilot cluster in Adastral Park.

Other benefits of network slicing include improved security, the ability to quickly adapt the network to meet specific customer needs and the capacity to support IoT sensors. It can also help cut down on accidentally missed payments by removing the lag between a contactless swipe and the funding being accepted.

Notes for editors:

Photo credit: Brian Morrison

The trial was enabled by BT’s Division X

A tremendous amount of work is taking place to ready ourselves for the arrival of EE’s own 5G SA network. We’ve already built and moved onto our new dual-mode 5G core, engineers are upgrading RAN sites up and down the country, and we’re incrementally testing and tweaking to ensure that we deliver on our ambition to be the UK’s best 5G SA network upon launch.

What that means is greater performance, capacity and reliability from day one. But 5G SA isn’t just about what’s on offer at launch, it’s also about creating a platform for advancements down the line in terms of the new services and capabilities it will deliver to consumers and businesses alike. Short-term evolution, long-term revolution.

To that end, there is also a huge amount of vital work taking place in BT’s Network Services, Architecture and Research departments not only to prepare the 5G SA network for launch later this year, but also to futureproof it so that we’re ready to capitalise on industry developments which are on the way in the months and years ahead. Ultimately this is where 5G SA will enable game-changing performance which, coupled with the cloud-native driven benefits of scalability and speed of delivery, will be the catalyst for new services to thrive.

That brings us to today’s announcement, in collaboration with our close partners Nokia and Qualcomm, that we’re the first European operator to achieve 5G carrier aggregation with five component carriers (5G CC CA) – you can read more here. Led by our Networks team at Adastral Park, with support from BT Research, this is the latest milestone in 5G innovation for us, and promises to deliver potentially even faster 5G SA downlink speeds in the future, of up to nearly 2 Gbps. What this means for customers is a significant boost in performance in areas of high demand when the 5G SA device requires a high-speed connection, for example when watching live sport at a train station in rush hour.

This follows on from previous carrier aggregation ‘firsts’ aimed at boosting 5G SA performance across both downlink and uplink, where demand for greater speeds is growing in importance for a number of both existing and emerging use-cases, including live-streaming and video calls.

Today’s achievement has been delivered with one eye on the future, too. The 5G SA handset ecosystem right now is relatively small, but we expect to see more and more devices come to market by the early part of next year which are capable of supporting this technology. So we’re laying down a marker to say that at EE, as the UK’s best and most reliable network¹, we are building capabilities into our network to support both the devices of today and the future.

We want to ensure that we really deliver on the promise of 5G SA for our customers, and an ongoing focus on innovation and research will be key to achieving this. Whether that’s through carrier aggregation advancements like today’s, demonstrating network slicing capabilities for guaranteed quality of service, or exploring how we can support the emerging IoT ecosystem through the likes of 5G RedCap technology, we’ll continue to prioritise advancements in network quality to support the evolution of the 5G services ecosystem.

_{¹ Best Mobile and Most Reliable Mobile Network based on the RootMetrics® UK RootScore® Report: H2 2023. Tested at locations across the UK with the best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of EE. Visit ee.co.uk/claims for more details.}

16^th October 2023: BT Group, together with Nokia and MediaTek, today announced that they have successfully completed trials of 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology with RedCap devices. The trial, which took place at BT Group’s Adastral Park site, utilized Nokia’s AirScale RAN portfolio, EE’s 5G Standalone (SA) network and MediaTek’s RedCap testing platform. RedCap is a technology introduced in 3GPP Release 17 that brings 5G to devices that do not require its full capabilities. It has the potential to expand the IoT ecosystem and accelerate its deployment within the industry. BT Group is evaluating RedCap to support new 5G use cases which could benefit both EE’s business and consumer customer bases.

5G devices such as smartphones often have complex hardware and power-hungry features which leads to higher cost, size, and power consumption. RedCap technology focuses on simplifying 5G devices, particularly small IoT devices such as wearables or health trackers for consumers as well as ruggedized routers, environmental or other condition-based monitoring sensors. These devices have less demand for battery life and lower bandwidth requirements. RedCap ensures they maintain performance and optimizes their power efficiency. Nokia has played a pivotal role in advancing RedCap IoT functionality together with the telecommunications industry.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group said: “This trial with Nokia demonstrates the potential of RedCap technology in unlocking a new wave of innovation within the 5G services ecosystem. This is especially the case as we move towards the arrival of 5G SA, bringing with it enhanced reliability, responsiveness, security and speed which – through 5G RedCap – promises to benefit a host of new IoT devices and use cases.”

Robert Moffat, Deputy Director Europe Mobile Business Development at MediaTek, said: “Our collaboration with Nokia and BT Group for this trial of 5G RedCap technology aligns with MediaTek's commitment to driving innovation and expanding the potential of 5G SA to include a wider ecosystem of devices and use cases.”

Phil Siveter, CEO, UK and Ireland at Nokia, commented: “The introduction of RedCap will unlock new 5G opportunities for many industries, with potentially billions of new devices connected with 5G. Our field tests with BT Group show that Nokia 5G Standalone networks are ready to support RedCap devices.”

BT today announced that it has launched Immersive Spaces for business and public sector organisations across Northern Ireland, creating the first 5G-enabled, interactive simulation experience here.

Launched in partnership with Immersive Interactive Ltd, BT Immersive Spaces simulate real-life environments within an internal or external room, or mobile unit.

The innovative technology is being showcased in a roadshow, creating interactive immersive experiences and learning and development opportunities for sectors including education, healthcare, retail, transport, tourism, manufacturing, construction and sport.

The fully immersive rooms are connected to the EE mobile network, using cameras and HD projectors to bring 360° content to life across the space’s walls and floor. Inside the space, users can experience real-life or imagined scenarios in detail, and add interactive elements – virtually transporting themselves into simulated environments, augmented with lights, sounds, and even smells.

From training paramedics in a simulated roadside accident scene, to creating virtual experiences inside operating theatres, buses, warehouses, supermarkets, building sites and arenas, the immersive space can be used by any organisation with a training and development need. In total, it offers more than 3000 computer-generated real-life scenarios for training experiences.

Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for Business, BT in Northern Ireland, said: “Today marks the next step in an exciting journey by BT to really showcase the benefits of 5G technology in providing these new and exciting learning and development opportunities for businesses and the public sector here.

“BT’s ambition is to ‘Connect for Good,’ and this 5G-enabled Immersive Spaces technology, which is the first of its kind, really does show the power of connectivity for consumers and businesses as we continue to invest in our network in Northern Ireland.”

David Salt, MD at Immersive Interactive Ltd, said: “The potential for immersive technologies is huge. Being able to interact with every surface of an immersive room, as well as enjoy additional sounds, smells and sensory effects, allows people to become truly submerged and virtually transported to new environments, as if they were experiencing the real thing. We are thrilled to be working with BT to bring this technology, with limitless potential, to businesses and consumers who can benefit from learning in a new, interactive way.”

BT’s Immersive Spaces are fully supported by EE’s 4G and 5G network. With 5G, users can live-stream content from a real-life location directly into the BT Immersive Space. Where this isn’t possible, they can download content and store content over 4G or even fixed fibre.

BT provides customers with an end-to-end service – from building and preparing Immersive Spaces, providing 360° video equipment, right through to training and guidance on how to use the spaces, as well as 24/7 customer service support.

For more information please visit here

The breakthrough trial demonstrated the benefits of configuring a wide carrier bandwidth of 50MHz (50MHz downlink + 50MHz uplink) in EE’s 2.6GHz band and performing downlink aggregation with two TDD (time division duplex) carriers in EE’s 3.5GHz band. The trial also evaluated an intermediate carrier bandwidth of 30MHz.

Conducted on BT’s live network in Bristol and Potters Bar using existing Ericsson commercial hardware (Baseband 6648, Radio 4419) and by activating the software feature ‘Large Bandwidth Support Low-Band', testing with MediaTek Dimensity powered handsets with integrated MediaTek M80 Release-16 modem, the trial has shown a capacity uplift of more than three times with a single FDD carrier. This is particularly significant for the uplink in 5G Standalone (5G SA), which is currently based on a single carrier.

Enabling 5G to be expanded in FDD bands is an important step in paving the way for the arrival of EE’s 5G Standalone mobile network. 5G SA will in future enable superior experiences for consumers and businesses – meeting the growing demand for data, driven by the likes of cloud gaming, VR, and emerging edge technologies.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer, BT Group, commented: “This breakthrough is the latest example of our commitment to maximising the full potential of 5G for our customers. As network quality and accessibility improve, so too will innovation and the 5G services ecosystem. Demonstrating new network capabilities such as those announced today is critical to achieving this goal, and also paves the way to ensuring that 5G SA delivers new possibilities for our customers.”

Evangelia Tzifa, Chief Technology Officer, Networks & Managed Services, for Ericsson UK and Ireland said: “This is a great step forward for the deployment of 5G Standalone for EE in the UK. Ericsson innovative software capabilities such as large bandwidths for NR FDD as well as NR Carrier Aggregation enable a solid foundation for improved end user experience and network performance. This is a fundamental link for business success and the evolution to next-generation connectivity across the country.”

Dr. Ho-Chi Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication Systems and Partnerships at MediaTek, said: “This remarkable achievement of boosting uplink capacity is a fundamental step for the evolution from 5G Non-Standalone to 5G Standalone networks. By supporting an uplink connection in a single FDD carrier with a wider bandwidth, MediaTek Dimensity 5G chipsets already meet the surging demand for uplink data in a new era of mobile applications”.

The move is part of Lyca Mobile’s strategy to build on its heritage of delivering reliable, low-cost international calling to target a broader value-seeking market by satisfying customer demand for cost-effective mobile connectivity built around three priorities: value, service and reliability.

The new partnership with BT Wholesale will mean that Lyca Mobile’s customers in the UK will gain direct access to EE’s 4G and 5G radio access network. EE was this year named the UK’s best network for the 19th time running by RootMetrics®, rating the network top for reliability, speed and accessibility. EE’s 5G network has availability in nearly every UK town and city covering more than 68% of the UK population, and its 4G network already covers 99% of the population.

As well as connectivity advantages, the customer experience will be enhanced through the full-service wrap provided by BT Wholesale. The partnership will also provide Lyca Mobile customers with future access to services such as WiFi calling.

Richard Schäfer, Lyca Group CEO, said: “The partnership with BT Wholesale is a critical milestone in Lyca Mobile’s strategy to target a broader section of UK mobile users with compelling offers designed to give consumers what they want from their mobile provider - which is quite simply cost-effective and high-quality services. Network performance has become a vital concern for mobile users in a competitive market. Through the EE network, Lyca Mobile customers will not only enjoy the low-cost services we’re famed for, but will be able to enjoy super-fast connectivity and improved coverage.”

Alex Tempest, MD, BT Wholesale, said: “This major new MVNO deal with Lyca Mobile reflects the ongoing importance of wholesale to BT and is testament to the high quality of service we provide to customers and the strength of our EE network – the UK’s best network according to Rootmetrics.*

“Thanks to this partnership, Lyca Mobile customers will receive access to EE’s 4G and 5G network, which currently supports data speeds that are around four times as fast as what they received previously**.

“The deal will see Lyca’s entire customer base move across to EE in what is set to be record time, with BT Wholesale team showing industry-leading capabilities in ensuring a smooth transition of an MVNO between networks.

“We now look forward to working closely with Lyca Mobile as part of this new long-term partnership and aim to provide the best mobile experience for customers.”

Earlier this year, Lyca Mobile announced a freeze on its prices until the end of 2023 amidst industry-wide rises, and has guaranteed EU roaming for customers across its plans. This provision will continue unchanged under its new partnership with BT Wholesale.

BT Wholesale is one of Europe’s largest wholesale telecoms providers and provides communication, collaboration and connectivity services to a range of partners. Its dedicated MVNO Team has many years of experience and supports over 50 brands, providing mobile services to almost 3 million end users.

Notes to editors

UK’S NUMBER 1/BEST NETWORK: Rankings based on the RootMetrics® UK RootScore® Report: H2 (July - Dec) 2022. Tested at locations across the UK with the best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of EE. Visit ee.co.uk/claims for more details.

** Four times faster claim based on median download speeds of 58.5 Mbps (EE) and 14.1 Mbps (O2) reported in 2H 2022 by RootMetrics. Visit https://rootmetrics.com/en-GB/content/uk-mobile-performance-review-2h-2022 for more details. 

BT today announced that it has launched immersive spaces for business and public sector customers – creating the UK market’s first 5G-enabled interactive simulation experience.

Launched in partnership with Immersive Interactive Ltd, BT Immersive Spaces simulate real-life environments within an internal or external room, or mobile unit – to create an interactive immersive experience.

The fully immersive rooms are connected to the EE mobile network, using cameras and HD projectors to bring 360° content to life across the space’s walls and floor. Inside the space, users can experience real-life or imagined scenarios in detail, and add interactive elements – virtually transporting themselves into simulated environments, augmented with lights, sounds, and even smells.

Each space comes with a content library of more than 3,000 computer-generated scenarios, real-life environments, games and training experiences. BT Immersive Spaces can be used for anything from training paramedics in a simulated, gamified roadside accident scene or hospital unit, to recreating fan experiences at a football match, important historical moments, or even a trip to a beach in Thailand. The spaces are also compatible with VR, AR and XR technologies to enhance the user experience.

Immersive Spaces offers use cases across a huge variety of sectors. BT is experiencing early demand for training and development use cases across education, healthcare, retail, transport, tourism, construction and sport – creating virtual experiences inside operating theatres, buses, warehouses, supermarkets, building sites and arenas. They are suitable for any business or organisation with a learning or development requirement.

Initial customers for BT Immersive Spaces include Borders College in Galashiels, Scotland and Cadoxton Primary School in South Wales. Both are using the technology to create fully immersive and interactive classrooms.

“The children absolutely love it,” said Hannah Cogbill, senior leadership at Cadoxton Primary School.  “Their favourite one so far is life under the sea. We can't wait to explore more of the experiences and collections and then begin to develop our own content. We are looking forward to using it to support our children's development and progression of imaginative writing. But it will also be a great scaffold to support learners with pre-experiences that they might be nervous about – for example catching a train or going on an aeroplane.”

Construction students at Borders College, who have previously not had the opportunity to access large-scale inner-city developments for on-site learning, can now experience first-hand teachings of the construction environment using the technology. Students taking courses from engineering to medical and health and social care also benefit, as they can manage real-life scenarios and increase their understanding of working in each career path. This will include Electrical Safe Isolation, ambulance training and dementia training.

David Lowe, Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Sustainability at Borders College, said: “Thanks to this new innovative 5G enabled equipment from BT, there will no longer be a divide between the opportunities offered to rural and inner-city students. Our students will be able to learn from wide-ranging developments, which is incredibly important in helping them to navigate their career opportunities and understand where their preferences lie in this diverse sector. As lecturers, it will give us far more agility to update our courses as new practices and techniques enter the market, which will unlock a wider and ‘green’ range of skills among students.”

BT’s Immersive Spaces are the first in the UK to allow customers to edit and create interactive content of their choice. As well as a pre-populated content library, this includes the option to film, edit and even live stream their own videos using a 360° camera, supplied by BT.

Alex Foster, Director at Division X – BT’s business innovation team, said: “Immersive Spaces bring together EE’s unrivalled connectivity with the very best immersive tech – combining the real and digital worlds to create new benefits for business and public sector organisations. This technology has the potential to be a game changer for training and development in any industry. Putting the power of immersive content into the hands of customers allows people to experience learning in a completely new way that is targeted specifically to their needs – which can significantly improve information retention and problem-solving skills. It can also enrich remote sales experiences, add a new layer to gaming and sports, and transport people virtually to any location, anywhere, during any point in history.”

BT’s Immersive Spaces are fully supported by EE’s 4G and 5G network. With 5G, users can live-stream content from a real-life location directly into the BT Immersive Space. Where this isn’t possible, they can download content and store content over 4G or even fixed fibre.

David Salt, MD at Immersive Interactive Ltd, said: “The potential for immersive technologies is huge. Being able to interact with every surface of an immersive room, as well as enjoy additional sounds, smells and sensory effects, allows people to become truly submerged and virtually transported to new environments, as if they were experiencing the real thing. We are thrilled to be working with BT to bring this technology, with limitless potential, to businesses and consumers who can benefit from learning in a new, interactive way.”

BT provides customers with an end-to-end service – from building and preparing Immersive Spaces, providing 360° video equipment, right through to training and guidance on how to use the spaces, as well as 24/7 customer service support.

For more information please visit here

Cruyff once said: “Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring.” It’s a lesson I’ve applied to business.

BT prides itself on the excellence of its managed services. We work with partners such as Microsoft to offer services that not only deliver the results customers expect but give quality experiences to ensure they are well used and easily adopted across their organisation.  

Around 18 months ago, we renewed and deepened our strategic partnership with Microsoft. Together, we committed to ensuring Microsoft solutions work “best on BT” delivering both quality and results. Here’s an update on our successes so far:

• Innovation

We’re innovating not only in the development of products and services, but in a digital experience. We have a digital quotation journey for Operator Connect and five solutions now available on Microsoft’s commercial Marketplace. On AppSource, we have: Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams with BT; Microsoft Teams Voice with BT; BT Virtual Events for Microsoft Teams Live Events.

And on Azure Marketplace we have: Managed Microsoft Sentinel and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) with BT; and 5G Private Network with Microsoft Azure Multi Edge Computing (MEC).

• Enterprise voice

We said we were migrating our Global Managed Voice platform to run on Microsoft Azure as part of Microsoft’s Azure for Operators programme. This is now live.

We’re offering our Global Managed Voice services directly through Microsoft Teams. And we’ll be launching Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile too.

• Cyber security

We’ve expanded our security portfolio from Managed Sentinel (Cloud SIEM) to include Microsoft Defender and XDR.  We've enabled Microsoft Sentinel onto the UK Government G-Cloud framework for Public Sector. We’re seeing an increasing number of customers buying Microsoft security plus other Microsoft services from BT in a true multi-cloud approach. 

• Industry-focused services

We’re working with Microsoft to develop a new private 5G and edge technology service designed to unlock safety, sustainability, productivity and security for a range of UK industries, from transport and logistics to manufacturing. It will bring together private mobile networks from BT with Microsoft’s Azure private multi-edge computing, which includes Azure Private 5G Core, cloud-managed edge computing and an ecosystem of application partners in robotics, video analytics and IoT.

• Consumer

Over in our Consumer division across both our EE and BT brands, we’ve been highly successful in integrating Microsoft services into a variety of our tariffs and plans. We were the first partner globally to offer M365 as an integrated solution and the integration of Game Pass Ultimate has made us the go-to fixed and mobile network for Xbox and gaming in the UK.

When I last met Omar Abbosh, president of Industry Solutions at Microsoft, he said the world is still at an early stage in its digital journey. “Partnerships are key to progress. Our Microsoft-BT partnership is built on a culture of teamwork, innovation and co-creation. By delivering high-quality digital services to end-users, we motivate customers to adopt digital technology to drive market impact and results,” he said.  

You can find out more about our Group-wide partnership with Microsoft at Mobile World Congress. We’ll have a pod on Microsoft’s stand (Hall 3, Booth #3H30) where you’ll be able to see what we’ve been delivering. This will also feature EE’s successful integration of Microsoft capabilities into market-leading services for XBox, Game Pass Ultimate and Microsoft 365. 

At BT, we aim to be the world’s most trusted connector of people, devices and machines. To earn trust, we must deliver repeatable, predictable results for our innovative managed services. As Cruyff said: “Winning is just one day, a reputation can last a lifetime.”

9 February 2023, London: EE today announces new details of its nationwide investment to connect the UK to 5G, with the technology reaching hundreds of rural communities across the UK for the first time. A series of new innovations that will boost the range, resilience and energy efficiency of mobile connectivity in the years ahead have also been unveiled.

5G rollout windfall for rural communities

EE’s 5G network, which already reaches nearly every major UK town and city as well as over 60% of the population, is now expanding into more rural populations. Nearly 500 smaller communities, including Church Stretton and Birkenshaw in England, Llandeilo and Pen-y-banc (Carmarthenshire) in Wales and Tayport and Ratho in Scotland, now have their first 5G signal from EE, bringing the total number of UK cities, towns and villages where customers can access EE 5G to over 1,000.

As part of the rollout, EE’s 5G is also reaching National Parks and popular rural tourist destinations. Among seasonal hotspots seeing a 5G boost are Berwick-upon-Tweed and Windermere in England, Brecon (Aberhonddu), Dolgellau (Gwynedd) and Narberth (Pembrokeshire) in Wales, and Fort William in Scotland. The Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and The Broads are also named as the first National Parks to be getting the technology, which will deliver better performance and connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors. The investment in rural coverage is part of a commitment to deliver an EE 5G solution anywhere in the UK by 2028.

Technological innovation drives network improvements

BT Group has announced it is testing a range of innovative technologies to boost the range, reliability and energy efficiency of its networks. These include:

• UK’s first 4G sent over low earth orbit satellite: BT Group has partnered with OneWeb to achieve the first transmission of 4G data using a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite link to connect an EE mast to the mobile core network, instead of a traditional line of sight microwave or fibre connection. This paves the way for connecting small ultra-remote communities, emergency responders and disaster recovery units and other temporary deployments like festivals, events or construction sites.
• Mobile coverage in harder to reach areas: In collaboration with Stratospheric Platforms Ltd (SPL), BT Group is running a trial that aims to deliver mobile coverage from the air using a ‘High Altitude Platform’ (HAPS) system being tested at BT’s Global innovation centre (Adastral Park). This has the potential to unlock connectivity for the most remote areas.
• Self-powering sites: EE is weeks away from launching its first self-powering mast using sustainable energy, in Wales’ Elan Valley. Initial assessments demonstrate that local sourced renewable energy (wind and solar) can contribute up to 90% of the site’s requirements.
• Biofuels phase-in: Trials are commencing to test the use of biofuels like Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), Biogas and Hydrogen in network generators to support wider resilience. EE will initially implement the solutions as a trial across 20 physical sites.

Underlying 4G leadership the key to a quicker rollout

EE has also revealed that its 4G network is on track to pass 90% of the UK’s geographic landmass by the mid-2020s thanks in part to the huge investment made in network infrastructure in line with its commitment to the Shared Rural Network (SRN). EE’s founding 4G network stretches more than 2,500 square miles further than the nearest challenger, with new 4G coverage added to nearly 50 locations every single month over the past three years. The network expects its landmark 1,500^th upgrade under the SRN as early as next month.

Wi-Fi coverage boost to mobile signal

EE’s Wi-Fi coverage boost, which launched last year, offers customers access to more than 150,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, all based in rural or indoor locations. Customers have already downloaded more than 350TB of accumulative data using the new feature – equivalent to streaming HD television continuously for 13 years - in areas where it wasn’t previously achievable.

Howard Watson, Chief Security and Networks officer, BT Group, said: “The network rollout progress announced today is a critical step toward meeting our goal of enabling a 5G connection anywhere in the UK by 2028. The strength of our underlying 4G network, thanks in part to improvements made under the Shared Rural Network, has put us in the best position to make widespread 5G coverage improvements outside of big cities. Speaking as a technologist, I’m proud of the way BT Group is applying new innovations to reduce the digital divide.”

About EE

EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, offering superfast connections in more places than any other operator. EE brought the first 4G network to the UK in October 2012 and launched the UK’s first 5G network in May 2019.

EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being named the UK’s no.1 5G network and the UK's best network every year since 2014 by RootMetrics®. In 2022 EE was named best network at the Mobile Industry Awards.

As well as offering mobile services to consumers and small and medium businesses, EE also provides home and business broadband using both 4G and fixed line connections.

EE is committed to being number one for service in the industry and has nearly 600 shops across the UK. EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised as the UK’s Best Large Contact Centre by the UK Customer Experience Awards 2018 and Welsh Contact Centre Awards 2019. EE was awarded The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2018 and 2019, as well as being named Best Employer 2018 by the European Contact Centre & Customer Service awards.

EE is part of BT’s Consumer business unit which provides products and services to all of BT’s consumer customers in the UK. Follow us on:

Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ee
Twitter at: www.twitter.com/ee
YouTube at: www.youtube.com/ee
LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/company/ee-uk

February 2023

EE customers are now able to enjoy 5G connectivity on the London Underground, with the network’s high-speed coverage live at three stations – Archway and Tufnell Park on the Northern line, as well as Notting Hill Gate on the Central line.

In addition to continuous 5G coverage from ticket hall to platform at all three stations, 5G is also live within the tunnel segment at Notting Hill Gate and the same will be true for Archway and Tufnell Park shortly. This will enable passengers to communicate with friends and colleagues or stream content uninterrupted.

In December 2022 these three stations were amongst the first beyond the eastern half of the Jubilee Line to benefit from EE’s 4G coverage, and the arrival of London’s best 5G Network* is the next significant step in the operator’s plans to roll-out mobile coverage across the entirety of the London Underground network, as well as the Elizabeth line, by the end of 2024.

5G will be extended to the tunnels surrounding each of the stations in the near future as part of EE and BAI’s ongoing rollout, which will also see both 4G and 5G arrive at a host of new stations throughout 2023 and beyond.

5G not only delivers faster speeds for customers but also greater capacity when layered on top of the concurrent deployment of 4G, which will prove invaluable – particularly during busy periods such as the morning and evening rush hour.

BAI’s innovative multi-carrier network connects London Underground’s stations and tunnels both with each other and with the outside world. EE’s mobile network then connects to the BAI infrastructure via basestations from Nokia’s AirScale radio access portfolio, ensuring immediate and continuous mobile coverage to customers. Nokia is supplying and installing the equipment, activating and validating the infrastructure for EE’s mobile services.

With compact and easy to deploy form factors, AirScale radios and baseband units are designed to meet various deployment needs. The basestation equipment powered by Nokia’s unique ReefShark System-on-Chip (SoC) enables high performance 5G services.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer, BT, said: “We’re proud to bring 5G coverage to the London Underground for the first time, maintaining our position at the forefront of what is a hugely important and transformative project for the city. It’s also a further demonstration of our ambition to deliver 5G connectivity anywhere in the UK by 2028, as we continue to make great progress in our efforts to build an unbeatable 5G network.”

Theo Blackwell MBE, London's Chief Digital Officer, said: "It’s great to see super high-speed 5G mobile connectivity now available at a number of Tube stations, proving that the state-of-the-art technology being installed across the network is already future-proofed and adaptable for the next generation of mobile signal. The Mayor committed to Londoners that we would deliver 4G throughout the Tube network as part of his determination to build a better London for everyone and today marks the latest step forward as we work to improve digital connectivity at home, in our high streets, public spaces and across the transport network."

Phil Siveter CEO UK&I, Nokia, said: “We are delighted to be selected as EE’s primary network provider for this important project that will provide premium 5G connectivity to commuters on the world-famous London Underground. We have worked hand-in-hand with BT for over a quarter of a century and are proud to be their largest equipment and services provider. The scope of this project will include providing coverage across tunnels, platforms and stations and is another important step forward in the digitalisation of the UK economy.”

*Rankings based on RootMetrics® UK and metro RootScore® reports: H2 2022. Tested with best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics® award is not an endorsement of EE. Reports at RootMetrics.co.uk. Visit ee.co.uk/claims for more details.

At the heart of our strategy is to be a better, more modern BT and we are on a charge to evolve from traditional telco to a technology company, while also enabling businesses and the public sector to make the same leap.

And that’s what is front and centre for us in Division X – to be the best digital transformation partner, helping our business and public sector customers take advantage of a digitally enabled future. That includes delivering quantifiable business outcomes for customers, and leading end-point solutions to improve productivity, optimise operations and drive cost savings, such as asset tracking, predictive maintenance, connected sensors, real-time data processing, automation, and robotics.

Managing these transformations is increasingly complex, and sometimes quite niche, and so the need to ‘collaborate to innovate’ has never been greater.

But choosing the right partners is critical. You must look for complementary skills and assets that add value. It’s not simply a question of working well together, you have to collectively drive better business outcomes than any one of you could achieve alone.

So, for us to be the best for our customers, we need to have the best-in-class partnerships to meet, deliver and exceed their expectations. 

And it’s something we are taking seriously at BT. We already have world class research and development functions and rich network experience and are actively engaged with many businesses today who are grappling with making the shift to a digital future. An example of this is reflected in our work with Belfast Harbour and the Port of Tyne, where we are deploying private 5G networks to help them revolutionise their processes, track assets, and understand how sustainable and productive their operations can be. Also, our partnership with Hyperbat in developing the world’s first 5G Virtual Reality Digital Twin solution is helping to accelerate the manufacturing process for electric vehicle batteries; and our innovative 5G trial with the BBC at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer also demonstrated the potential for a portable 5G network to transform broadcasting for live events.

None of the above would have been possible without the support of multiple partners, and so we made the decision earlier this year, as part of our BT Means Business Enterprise Customer Charter to create a more structured partnership engagement that would allow us to accelerate our ambitions and co-innovate in a more coordinated way.

Over the past number of months we have been talking to partners about the form this engagement should take and I’m delighted that this month, we launched our Partner Advisory Board (PAB), with the first wave of many partners joining the new collaboration.

The purpose of the PAB is for industry leading companies of all sizes to come together to discuss and share insights and best practices, to examine innovative propositions, and to debate potential solutions to current and future challenges that business leaders are encountering.

We held our first meeting this week where I was joined by Katherine Ainley (CEO UK & Ireland, Ericsson), Clay Van Doren (CEO Northern and Central Europe, Atos), Mike Grogan (Director Media & Communications Industry, Microsoft) and Warren Tucker (Partner and Head of Cloud & Digital, PwC) to set out the future roadmap.

Our aim as a group is to team up and accelerate the co-creation of digital solutions alongside our customers. This ranges from health, to logistics, transport and manufacturing.

BT has already launched a number of propositions in partnership with the founding members of the Board:

• Our Digital Vision partnership with Atos to provide customers with a powerful AI-based analytics tool to extract value from their digital images and videos,
• Our strategic alliance agreement with Microsoft to accelerate innovation across enterprise voice, cyber security and industry-focused services in sectors from digital manufacturing to health, setting businesses in the UK and around the world back to growth
• The first commercial 5G Private Network ‘off the shelf’ product with Ericsson offering the next generation mobile network technology products to businesses and organisations to enable new innovative applications and IoT capabilities.

And our partnership with PwC to inject deep industry insights – with an initial focus on transport and logistics and healthcare – together with cloud and digital transformation expertise to help organisations solve important problems such as productivity, asset tracking and sustainability.

But it’s not just about the UK’s large businesses and titans of the industry. Going forward, we’ll also champion the growth of UK tech start-ups and scale ups through this process, working with ETC, BT’s Digital Incubator team, to identify and nurture the best tech companies. Our ambition is to help increase digital technology adoption across multiple sectors and improve and increase the number of solutions we can offer to customers.

Over the coming months we plan to welcome even more business partners to the PAB. We’re looking forward to the exciting joint value this can bring, and, in turn, the opportunity we have to build and sustain partners of choice for our 5G, IoT, AI, infrastructure, security and future solutions.

At BT our purpose is to connect for good, and to do so in a way that is inclusive, responsible, and sustainable - our new Partner Advisory Board is no better example of this in action.

The numbers on our EE mobile network reflected that: we saw an approximately five-fold increase in BBC data traffic volume from 7pm on that balmy Sunday night. And, as the final kicked off, mobile traffic overall grew by 10 per cent.

Watching the England team throughout this tournament has reminded me that, to be the best, you must have quality and depth. While England’s starting 11 were brilliant, the whole squad played their part. It was fitting that the winning goals in the final were scored by two substitutes.

Strength in depth is important whether you are running a football team or a mobile network. Proof of our strength in depth and quality came this month, with EE being recognised as the UK’s best network by RootMetrics for the ninth year running. We’ve been named the best not just because of our individual offerings (RootMetrics rates each network on speed, data, call, text, reliability and accessibility), but because we are able to offer the best overall service to our customers too.

And a big factor in this achievement has been our unbeatable 5G, combined with our super-strength 4G network.

Topping the group

Our focus for our 5G network has been to provide both speed and reliability to more of our customers. We are providing more consistent 5G coverage across the UK. In recent tests, our median 5G download speeds came in at 150Mbps – which is a lot more than most of our competitors can say. And it’s not just our 5G customers that enjoy great speeds. In 83 per cent of cases, EE customers enjoyed the fastest speeds and when tested across 16 metropolitan areas, EE offers 50+ Mbps median download speeds in all of them – unlike our competitors (see the table below).

We are not only faster than the competition. Where we really come out on top is the quality and availability of 5G on EE. We have leading 5G availability across many major cities in the UK and we also guarantee reliable 5G coverage to more of our customers, meaning the majority get a great service while the very top will get even faster speeds We are determined to stay unbeatable, and we are continuing to invest in our network.

Hitting the target

We were proud to have been the first operator to reach 50% of the UK population with our 5G network, a year ahead of our own target, while our 5G customer base continues to grow. We have more than 7.6m 5G-ready customers, which represents an increase of 135% in the past year. We are able to provide both speed and reliability thanks to our strong fibre footprint, which is the backbone of our 5G network. In the past year alone, we’ve increased the number of mobile sites with 10Gb fibre connections to more than 4,400. This gives us improved performance and, just as importantly, it increases the reliability and areas of coverage across our UK network.

And that ensures we can meet the 5G needs of our customers day after day.

We have also launched our new 5G core, which will be fully live in 2023. I’m pleased to say our first set of customers have already been successfully migrated on to it. This is just the first step in what will be an exciting future for our 5G standalone services.

Keeping our eye on the ball

Being named the UK’s best network once again shows that our commitment to overall customer experience is being recognised. We want to continue to be known as the best network for all our customers, not just those in city centres. We won’t compromise on reliability for all by focusing on speed for the few. And we promise to continue to enhance both our 4G and 5G offerings and want to ensure that more people across the UK are able to access our networks.

We want our customers to be able to rely on our networks whenever and wherever they need it. And, like the Lionesses, we can look forward to the future together with real strength in depth.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @marcallera

In the future, your calls should never drop and your journeys – however remote – are never out of reach of a connection. This was the premise of our network vision, launched a year ago, which outlined how we will get there:

• By 2023, new smart core technology powering our network,
• By 2025, 4,500 square miles of new rural mobile coverage,
• And by 2028, a 5G connection possible anywhere in the UK.

Our vision remains one-of-its-kind, underpinned by BT’s unique ability to fuse the best of mobile, Wi-Fi and fibre through an intelligent single core. No other network has the combination of scale, pedigree, or expertise to achieve it.  

So how are we doing?

An unbeatable 5G network

We’ve smashed our first target on 5G, becoming the first operator to pass 50% of the UK’s population. We’re growing further, adding new sites every day while making sure that EE’s 5G has the mark of quality too. We’re also bolstering 5G in the nation’s busiest spaces: tourist hotspots, stadiums and university campuses. EE customers at Glastonbury took for granted their ability to upload their memories – but ask friends on other networks whether they had the same experience?

Lift the bonnet and you’ll see the real power of the network. Our new 5G core is now launched and will be fully live in 2023, as planned. We’ve successfully migrated the first customers on to it, a critical milestone. By embedding both our mobile and fixed core networks in BT’s private network cloud, we will deliver ever better customer experiences. These changes are critical to fusing the power of multiple networks and critical for the future launch of 5G standalone services.

Enhancing our award-winning 4G network

Want to coach table tennis over video? That’s just one of the thousands of ways that customers are innovating over our expanding 4G network.

4G is the bedrock of our current network and we’ll pass 90% of UK geography within a few years. We’re now at 86% and adding miles upon miles of it every month. In fact, we’ve expanded our coverage by more than 1,000 square miles over the past twelve months, through hundreds of new masts and over 4,000 upgraded sites. We’re partnering on many of these, working with national Governments to deliver 4G in places that have never before been connected. We’re on 27 of the 28 masts in Scotland’s 4G infill programme for example. And best of all, on any new site we build, other networks can apply to share it.

Industry leading fibre deployments

As a business, we’ll shortly update how many people are now able to take advantage of the £15bn investment we’re making into the gold standard of fixed connections - full fibre. Across the UK, demand for connectivity is rising: for access to it, for speed on it, for reliability within it and for performance over it. Fibre is the solution and we’re literally embedding our future connectivity throughout the highways and byways of Britain. Week in, week out. Best of all, expanding fibre strengthens our mobile network. Nearly 4,500 of our mobile sites now connect over 10Gb fibre connections, giving them ‘best in class’ performance, now and into the future.

Remaining the most reliable

Our customers want to know their phone will just work when they pick it up and that’s where we continue to lead the pack. Many networks are built to deliver peak speeds in a few areas. Ours is built to deliver peak performance more widely – delivering industry leading speeds to customers beyond just the busiest cities.

We’re resilient too. Last week, as the UK baked in record temperatures our infrastructure kept its cool. Our data centres, exchanges, routers and major mobile sites continued connecting customers’ calls - in some cases delivering life-saving connections – and our teams worked quickly to tackle any local issues where they arose. Like many, I’m concerned by our changing climate, but I’m also extremely proud of how BT’s infrastructure stood up to a fierce test.

No doubt we’ll face more challenges this year but we’ll always strive to keep everyone connected. Our eyes are on the promises we made last year, delivering a seamless connection wherever its needed, fueling innovation and being a major contributor to the UK’s economic growth.

We’re connecting for good and we’re just getting started.

BT and Ericsson today announced a multi-million-pound new joint partnership to provide commercial 5G Private Networks for the UK market – the first agreement of its kind in the country.

The telecommunications and technology firms have signed a multi-year contract that will enable BT to sell the next generation mobile network technology products to businesses and organisations in sectors such as manufacturing, defence, education, retail, healthcare, transport and logistics.

The deal also comes just after BT announced it was investing almost £100 million over the next three years in its ‘Division X’ unit to accelerate the development of customer solutions which integrate emerging technologies like 5G, IoT, Edge Compute, Cloud and AI.

Private Networks are wireless solutions that provide secure indoor and outdoor 5G cellular coverage, making them suitable for a range of uses - particularly in environments such as factories, education campuses and other large sites where security and ultra-low latency connectivity are important.

New innovative applications and IoT capabilities can be enabled through a private 5G network to improve productivity, optimise operations and drive cost savings, such as asset tracking, predictive maintenance, connected sensors, real-time data processing, automation and robotics.

According to a forecast from MarketResearch.com, 5G Private Networks are predicted to grow at an average rate of 40 per cent a year between 2021 and 2028, by which time the market will be worth $14bn (£10.7bn).  Both BT and Ericsson believe there is significant demand from UK businesses looking to take advantage of the benefits the new technology can provide.

Marc Overton, BT’s Managing Director for Division X, Enterprise, said: “This UK-first we have signed with Ericsson is a huge milestone and will play a major role in enabling businesses’ transformation, ushering in a new era of hyper-connected spaces.

“We have combined our skill and expertise at building converged fixed and mobile networks with Ericsson’s leading, sustainable and secure 5G network equipment, to offer a pioneering new proposition that will be attractive to many industries. 5G private networks will also support smart factory processes and the advancement of Industry 4.0 which can realise significant cost savings and efficiencies for manufacturers.

“Unlike a public network, a private 5G network can be configured to a specific business’s needs, as well as by individual site or location. They also provide the foundation to overlay other innovative technologies such as IoT, AI, VR and AR, opening up a multitude of possibilities.”

Katherine Ainley, CEO Ericsson UK & Ireland said: “This ground-breaking agreement with BT means we are together taking a leading role in ensuring 5G has a transformative impact for the UK. The high quality, fast and secure connectivity provided by Ericsson Private 5G can help organisations make all-important efficiency gains that can create safer, more productive, and sustainable business operations and help the country build global leaders in the industries and technologies of the future.”

Case study

BT and Ericsson have already worked together on several major projects incorporating private 5G networks, including Belfast Harbour in Northern Ireland, as they accelerate its ambition to become the world’s best regional smart port.

The partners have installed a 5G private network across 35 acres of operational port. This is helping to drive operational efficiencies and accelerate its digital transformation through optimising processes across transport, logistics, supply chain and shipping, as well as boosting productivity through the smooth-running of the Port’s operations.

Every year more than 1.75 million people and over half a million freight vehicles arrive and depart through the Port every year. While 24 million tonnes of goods are managed and carried by ferries, container ships and cargo vessels.

“With activity on that scale you need smart technology that can really make a difference. And that’s what our standalone private 5G network is enabling at the Port,” added Marc Overton.

 “We’re now into phase two of the project and this includes various use cases such as teleoperation of heavy plant machinery, artificial reality (AR) for remote maintenance, as well as enhanced video AI analytics and the use of drones for surveillance and inspections.”

The partnership is also exploring how 5G and other emerging technologies such as AI, IoT and Connected Autonomous Vehicles can be used together to enhance public safety, physical security, and address climate change across the Port and other parts of Belfast City.

Mike Dawson, Corporate Services Director, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, said: “Throughout 2021 and to the end of 2022, we will have completed the implementation of both Public and Private 5G Networks. These are the foundation for several Smart and Green port initiatives, including CCTV cameras, Air Quality Monitors, Drones, MiFi units to maximise operational efficiencies and a Digital Twin. The technologies have supported our data collection on the movement of people and things through our Road Traffic Screens, Wayfinding App and a Community App for Traffic.”

5G Wales Unlocked is the innovation project behind the new immersive 360-degree classroom in Ebbw Vale, just one of several trials demonstrating how ultrafast technology like 5G could transform rural communities, from powering tech innovations in agriculture, to improving rural transport and education and bolstering the tourism industry. 

Using a localised 5G network provided by BT as one of the project partners, the classroom uses the high-speed connectivity to project inspiring and educational video content onto all four walls in a 360-degree format, providing an immersive experience.

Lessons can be delivered across a variety of curriculum-related themes, taking children and young people on a journey of the senses as they ‘dive’ into the detail of a plant cell or explore the surface of a planet.

Thanks to the ultrafast 5G connection, live link-ups have also been established, allowing learners to discover the fascinating history of heritage sites such as Raglan Castle, with a live virtual tour from a Cadw custodian located at the site.

The live link-ups can also be used to connect classrooms across the country, meaning pupils can work collaboratively with other learners, and educators can enhance their own lessons in partnership with other schools.

Welsh Government Minister for Education and Welsh Language Jeremy Miles MS said: “It’s fantastic to see learners in Ebbw Vale benefitting from next-generation technology, thanks to this innovative project.

“It’s our ambition to see Wales leading the way in using digital technology to deliver high-quality education, and to raise attainment and skills of all learners, regardless of background. This trial will help learners in rural areas engage with the curriculum in an exciting, immersive environment.”

Nick Speed, BT Group Director in Wales, said: “We’re excited to be part of this pioneering project looking at the potential of 5G in rural areas.

“The immersive classroom is a brilliant example of how 5G’s greater bandwidth can help deliver rich, high quality content to inspire school pupils about the world, wherever they’re located. It has the potential to reduce the education gap between areas and make sure that all pupils have access to this kind of innovative learning material.”

Notes

5G Wales Unlocked has been made possible by funding from the Welsh Government’s Tech Valleys Programme and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

About 5G Wales Unlocked

5G Wales Unlocked is an innovation project demonstrating the commercial value of improved connectivity in rural Wales to accelerate the deployment of 5G and digital services across the region.

The project is led by the Welsh Government and involving a consortium of partners comprised of BT, Cisco, Cardiff University, Jam Creative Studios, Monmouthshire CC, Blaenau Gwent CBC, UtterBerry and AppyWay.  The project has received grant funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

 For more information, please visit 5gwalesunlocked.co.uk or follow 5G Wales Unlocked on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

EE and BT Sport are unveiling pioneering uses of 5G which re-imagine the experience of watching and performing sports, dance, music and theatre through virtual, augmented and mixed reality applications.

Using everyday devices such as smartphones, tablets and TVs, as well as the latest augmented reality (AR) headsets, the new prototypes enable users to take control and engage in an event from any angle of their choosing.

For example, rugby fans can take the experience of being at a match or event to previously unmatched levels with real-time, data-rich AR insights such as ball trajectories and kick distances. Boxing fans can bring fight nights into their own living room with highly immersive holographic videos which puts them up close to the boxers as they fight.  Meanwhile, dancers, musicians and other artists can remotely demonstrate, teach and engage with students and fans using EE’s 5G network to provide real-time interactive experiences.

The prototypes are the first outputs from an EE and BT Sport-led project, 5G Edge-XR, which demonstrates how the potential of EE’s 5G network, paired with cloud graphics processing units, can enable consumers to view events in a range of new, highly immersive ways. 5G Edge-XR is supported by The Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), The Grid Factory, Condense Reality, DanceEast, Salsa Sound and The University of Bristol. Other high-end XR services being explored by the project address the needs of industries as diverse as construction, health and retail.

Lisa Perkins, Research Realisation Director, BT, said: “Our work at Adastral Park alongside world-class innovators including BT Sport and our 5G Edge-XR partners demonstrates how EE’s 5G network can support services that deliver uncompromised audio and visuals. We’re excited to be unveiling experiences that could transform sports, culture, and the arts as well as demonstrating the benefits 5G can bring to people and businesses.”

Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport, said: “EE and BT are again demonstrating the powerful creative and operational benefits that 5G technology can bring to sports and broadcast. These new experiences, which capitalise on the breadth of broadcast and mobile expertise across BT and EE, re-affirm the important role that 5G will play in re-imagining how sport is watched both at stadia and via television.”

At the home of Saracens rugby in London, EE and BT unveiled the following new experiences, aspects of which are being further developed by BT Sport for launch in the future.  The demonstrations were supported by BT Media & Broadcast’s TV OB service.

Rugby: Providing fans who are at the game with never-before-seen match insight and companion experiences, the application provides real-time mixed reality overlays on smartphones, tablets and AR headsets. Features include game data overlaid onto players, ball trajectories, gain-line visuals, kick distances, possession data and alternative camera viewpoints. Additional features under consideration include alternative partisan commentaries, localised stadium advertising and route-finding info to the stadium.

Boxing: A first-of-its-kind immersive sports-viewing experience, bringing live fights from the ring into the front room. It provides a real-time volumetric video to create so-called ‘holographic boxers’ who are synchronised with the live TV broadcast. The volumetric video can placed for example on a viewer’s coffee table while they watch the live fight on their TV. Replays can be watched in slow-motion from any angle during breaks, together with fight data. Additionally, a Hype Mode feature provides an entertaining broadcast experience with fun, action-themed on-screen descriptions for key moments and punch tracers lined with graphics such as blazes of fire.

MotoGP: The ultimate augmented reality motorsport fan experience. The prototype provides an immersive race presentation through a virtual multi-screen viewing suite offering 17 different video panels. In addition, viewers can access an at-scale circuit map showing the position of riders throughout the race, together with a Parc Ferme area offering full-size 3D renderings of team motorbikes with spatial audio. Content viewable on the 17 live video panels includes: race helicopter view, bike-cams on up to seven different bikes, replays, timing panel showing individual racer timings, and, interactive leader board showing the position of riders in the race.

Dance / Music / Theatre: experience how 5G and AR can be used to transform the way we watch live and recorded performances of dance, music and theatre. The experience showcases live-streamed AR dance classes, led by a remote dance artist who is presented as a volumetric hologram mixed into the real-world using AR glasses.

Football: Offers a fully immersive ‘like being there’ experience for football fans. It provides an immersive experience utilising the BT Sport App’s existing 360-degree service combined with spatial audio and dynamic graphics to provide 8K 360-degree multi camera viewpoints, screens showing the live TV match feed, team sheets and match info, embedded match information graphics showing teams score, clock, and an interactive timeline that enables users to directly jump to key events within the match. In addition, it provides spatial audio specific to the camera location and orientation of the user.

The new outputs are the latest industry-first collaboration around the use of world-class 5G networks between EE, BT Sport, BT Applied Research and BT Media & Broadcast:

• In October 2020, EE teamed up with BT Sport to launched Matchday Experience on the BT Sport App, offering fans the most immersive sports viewing experience anywhere in the UK, including Watch Together - the only service in the UK allowing fans to watch, see and chat with three other friends, alongside any BT Sport broadcast, thanks to a split-screen interface.
• In 2019, BT Sport collaborated with BT’s Media & Broadcast arm to broadcast the world’s first live 8K test broadcast, into the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam.
• In 2018 BT Sport and EE carried out the world’s first live broadcast over 5G using remote production, delivering a two-way transmission from Wembley Stadium to London’s ExCeL exhibition centre.

Partnering with BT, Ericsson and NVIDIA, Hyperbat is set to benefit from a world first 5G Virtual Reality (VR) ‘digital twin’ solution which allows remote teams in different parts of the country to connect, collaborate and interact using a virtual 3D engineering model. By enabling dispersed teams across design, engineering and manufacturing to collaborate more efficiently, the technology is set to accelerate the pace of innovation within the UK manufacturing sector.

Hyperbat alongside its partners – BT, Ericsson,Qualcomm Technologies, NVIDIA, Masters of Pie and The Grid Factory - unveiled details of the solution at the NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference (GTC) demonstrating how it will reduce product cycle time between design, engineering and manufacturing teams based in Coventry and Oxfordshire.

The solution offers a world first untethered 5G native experience that will allow design and engineering teams to walk around and interact with a 3D lifesize model in real time through a single self-contained device, and without the constraints of a physical connection. Hyperbat colleagues in different locations will be able to work with a 1:1 product scale hologram of the design in-situ on the factory floor, review designs in real time, and manage workflows much more effectively.

The solution comprising high bandwidth and low latency 5G connectivity, integrated by Ericsson’s D-15 Lab in Santa Clara, California, will enable Hyperbat to deliver engineering projects at scale. This will empower teams to improve build efficiency within its manufacturing processes, whilst removing current complexities between product management systems, supply chain and factory operations.

The 5G VR digital twin solution will be deployed by BT and Ericsson on a 5G mobile private network, using the world’s first 5G-enabled VR headset powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ XR2 Platform. The VR headset will run on the Masters of Pie Radical platform, enabling Hyperbat to use cloud-based virtual reality within computer-aided design (CAD) software. Using high performance edge compute, the solution also includes cutting-edge hardware and software from NVIDIA to seamlessly integrate into existing factory floor operations. Qualcomm’s VR headset incorporates split rendering where all the perception-based data is held locally on the device, but the computing is handled in the cloud and streamed by the NVIDIA CloudXR and solutions. This helps to achieve a seamless, high fidelity VR experience that produces a real-life experience for the manufacturing teams.

Hosein Torabmostaedi, Digital and Innovation Manager said: ‘‘Hyperbat is honoured to be working with such an incredible consortium of partners to pioneer a solution that lays the foundations for smart factory architecture and efficient, flexible and collaborative manufacturing. The solution mainly targeted at collaborative mobile workforce with the use of 5G native headsets and seamless integration of design and manufacturing systems with the digital twin technologies. Hyperbat also to extend the solution to the use of 5G connectivity for machines to enable configurable and flexible production lines. The solutions will be demonstrated and trialed at Hyperbat’s facility in Coventry, United Kingdom.”

Jeremy Spencer, 5G Innovation Senior Manager, BT’s Enterprise unit said: “This world-first 5G digital twin solution is a powerful reminder that 5G connectivity and Edge Compute is very much here now, delivering real business benefits for our customers. 5G connectivity, when combined with the latest emerging tech can produce incredible efficiency gains which will be so important in boosting the UK manufacturing sector as it recovers from COVID. It will also bring a welcome boost to many other industries where collaboration is required. We’re thrilled to be working with Hyperbat and such a strong network of partners to bring this innovation to life, made possible by combining our collective strengths across a range of technologies.”

“5G will have a transformative impact in the industries and technologies of the future and this collaboration with BT, Hyperbat and other eco-system partners is another demonstration of how low latency, edge compute and wireless networking will be critical to digitalisation within the enterprise sector. By delivering operational efficiencies through 5G technology, we are laying a foundation that can help to drive innovation in manufacturing, boost the economy and position the UK as a leading 5G nation,” said Björn Odenhammar, CTO, Networks & Managed Services, Ericsson UK & Ireland

 “Bringing remote teams together in VR to collaborate and refine manufacturing processes will produce great efficiencies and innovations,” said David Weinstein, director of virtual reality and augmented reality at NVIDIA. “This 5G VR digital-twin solution -- powered with NVIDIA RTX technology, CloudXR, and NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation software -- will enable real-time immersion for teams both on the factory floor and remotely.”

The Hyperbat solution is near completion with results of the collaboration expected in early summer.

Following the principal stage of Ofcom’s 5G auction, EE has secured new 700MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz spectrum.

Marc Allera, CEO Consumer said: “EE has secured vital new spectrum in this auction which, when rolled out into the network, will allow us to grow our position as the UK’s number one 5G network. EE was first to launch 4G and 5G, and this auction outcome is great news for our network, our customers and BT.”

Low band 700MHz spectrum is widely seen as crucial for reach and indoor coverage, providing a wider and better customer experience. Mid-range 3.6GHz spectrum will help deliver greater capacity and speed, both vital elements for the growing use cases associated with 5G technologies.

The Spectrum Auction now moves to a second stage, to work out where the acquired spectrum will be assigned within the band. The full commercial terms will only be finalised at the end of this assignment stage of the auction.

Full details of the spectrum EE has won are shown in the table below:

_{¹FDD – Frequency division duplex
²SDL – Supplemental downlink}

BT today announced a new, multi-year agreement with Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) to continue to be the company’s network partner in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Under the agreement, BT will work to transform WBA’s networking and enhance the customer and colleague experience with the deployment of next-generation technology.

Steve Rempel, senior vice president and international chief information officer, WBA, said: “We chose BT because we share a focus on delivering standout customer experiences. Our digital plans demand full visibility, control and security of applications and data crossing our network so we can join up in-store and online experiences for customers and colleagues alike.”

Joris van Oers, managing director, resources, manufacturing and logistics & Europe, BT, said: “Connectivity is central in the new digital environment WBA is creating for its customers. Our managed network will provide secure and reliable access to applications and data in the cloud and support innovation by providing agility to deploy new services faster.”

BT’s network will provide faster, more responsive access to applications and data and simplify the roll out of new customer service innovations as part of WBA’s digital transformation.

The new, managed service will support the shift of business applications and data in the UK and Republic of Ireland to the cloud and will enhance the customer and colleague experience by improving the reliability and performance of connectivity in the company’s stores, warehouses, distribution centres and support offices.

Designed with joined-up, omnichannel retailing in mind, the network provides WBA with the agility to respond to new opportunities in a fast-changing market. The solution includes the transformation of voice services across Boots UK and Republic of Ireland stores, cyber security to protect customers, colleagues and devices, and extending mobile connectivity – with plans to include 5G – for service resilience and to rapidly expand capacity to support peaks in demand.

At BT, we’re exploring how 5G is dramatically improving industries; manufacturing, healthcare, education and logistics are just a few areas where 5G enabled technology can transform operations, boost productivity, enhance workflows and create a smart sustainable environment for our future generations.

But whilst a lot of focus has been placed on 5G enabled tech such as robotics, data analytics, AI and IoT, few people have heard of one particular innovation called volumetric video which is poised to dramatically impact a whole range of industries in ways we’re only beginning to understand now. 

What is volumetric video?

Volumetric video is a way of capturing a person, object or environment in three dimensions so that it can be seen remotely in 3D from any perspective. And, it’s one of many new technologies we’re experimenting with at Adastral Park, our innovation centre here at BT.

The low latency connectivity offered by 5G and paired with compute power sited at the edge of the network enables volumetrically captured objects, be that musicians performing on stage or a boxer fighting in a ring, to be seamlessly streamed to a display – and experienced in the same way our brains perceive an object moving in front of us.

In other words, volumetric video will enable live events to be streamed online at broadcast quality and in three dimensions, enabling viewers to watch the event in real-time from any angle of their choosing.

We will be able to watch live performances unfold from just a few feet away, to circle around or move in between the performers, and to experience events in real time – as if they are in our living room.

We discuss volumetric video  more in our latest Future is Now series, where we speak with Condense Reality, a business exploring the incredible ways that volumetric video is being used and the potential that 5G holds. 

Why is it important?

Maybe just 12 months ago, it was harder to imagine such a virtual and remote world to the one we’re experiencing right now. But due to the current climate triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re starting to really recognise how important virtual technology is – and will continue to be – in the future.

Recently, we’ve all experienced what it means to live in a world powered by virtual interactions. We understand how meaningful it is, when we can’t be together, for our virtual world to be as seamless and intuitive as possible.

This is especially true for business, and for how we work together remotely.

In architecture or manufacturing, for example, employees will be able to virtually gather remotely around 3D virtual models of buildings or products and be able to collaborate and make adjustments, allowing every stakeholder throughout the supply chain to react in the moment ensuring a more seamless flow through across the production process.

And think about what volumetric video could do for remote education, particularly when we’re facing one of the biggest disruptions to learning for young people. Virtual classrooms using 5G enabled technology can close that divide for many children and families who are not able to access physical learning spaces and risk being disadvantaged. 

Revolutionising industries

A whole range of diverse industries, from communications and entertainment to health and education, stand to benefit from this technology.

For business, small and large, volumetric video will open up new ways of collaborating, enabling virtual offices to be created – rather than colleagues communicating on a flat screen. Full-scale models can be created and shared in 3D, allowing everyone in a production line to properly assess a final product. Presentations and meetings can be held without the need to fly across the world, lowering a business’ carbon footprint.

And, it’s not just broadcasting and communications that will benefit from volumetric technology. Consider retail; we will be able to virtually enter a high street boutique and try on clothes to make sure they fit and look good before ordering the physical garment. We could even tour the interiors of homes for sale without entering the space itself.

In hospitals, doctors will be able to study 3D scans of a patient’s body. They might be able to view a hologram of a patient’s heart, helping them to form a clear diagnosis. Scientists’ ability to collaborate, experiment and share research across continents will be able enriched by the creation of virtual labs, as well as the potential volumetric study of microscopic organisms, allowing them to discover new information, improve diagnosis and develop new medicines.

We are only just beginning to understand the vast potential of this technology.

Why is 5G such a key part of this new technology?

Well simply put, volumetric video needs 5G. The sheer amount of processing power required to render and display a high-resolution three dimensional image places too much pressure on even the latest smartphones. Today’s mobile devices, then, would struggle to cope with the processing work required to stream a volumetric video.

Edge compute facilities paired with high-end graphics processors placed at the edge of the 5G network means the intensive processing is done on remote computers before then being streamed to your device over 5G with super low latency.

The innovation may still be in its infancy, but volumetric video and the associated AR and VR new technologies we are working on at Adastral Park have vast transformative potential.

The low latency and high bandwidth speed of 5G will enable us to ensure volumetric video becomes a technology we can use and gain value from every day.

There is so much to be excited about. We’re on the edge of a new era of three-dimensional technology.

Today, we are announcing that EE has switched on a 5G network in 13 new towns across the UK, bringing 5G to 125 places in total. And that brings me to a crucial point. Behind reliability sits credibility; before we ask our customers to rely on our network, they must be able to trust the information they are told about it.

When EE announces it has switched on a new place with 5G, there must be meaningful levels of coverage there, which we assess with clear benchmarks and strict criteria which need to be met. During our initial 5G rollout, we are only announcing places with a minimum population of 10,000 people, within which we must be delivering 5G coverage to at least a third of that local population as well as the centre of the location. Once announced this is really only the start for 5G coverage as we continue to invest and grow coverage in those towns and cities. For example, since we launched our 5G in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, we’ve more than doubled the amount of 5G sites in those cities.

I’m often asked, why bother with any criteria, why not just announce when even one site is live somewhere? Well, we believe customers need to trust our network, so their experience matches their expectations. We could loosen our criteria like some competitors; to be honest, it’s tempting, by so doing we would reveal 5G is actually in around 200 unique locations across the UK. However, we believe our claims should be as credible as our 5G is usable. We do not take our customers’ experience for granted.

Why does this matter? We know, through independent analysts, that networks which rush to announce places without proper coverage can offer a much narrower customer experience. For example, test results suggest that one rival’s network, which currently purports to have the highest number of 5G locations in the UK, actually has coverage levels lower than EE’s in many of those. Analysis from 2020 showed that they also suffered from the highest level of congestion among the major UK MNOs on the 5G they did have, slowing by more than 36% during peak hours.

Another rival, which recently claimed the best 5G in London, was quoting the results of a report that tested mainly only where they had strong signal, rather than capturing the wider area. In reality, we know our 5G network has a significantly larger footprint throughout London, with similar coverage leads reflected across other capitals, major cities and towns throughout the UK.

Or take a third rival, that claims to be the ‘best network’ before telling you, in the small print, it’s actually an award for customer service. (Though, one year into bringing all of our contact centres back to the UK, we are pushing them close on that front too.)

The lack of consistency in how, where and when networks claim to have 5G is frustrating. Yes, it’s frustrating to us; every fair and meaningful award for network coverage EE repeatedly wins. But it’s also frustrating for customers, who might buy into a claim only to be disappointed with the actual coverage they receive. It’s an area we are keen to address and are already working with Ofcom to monitor.

And this brings me back to reliability. It's not just about the number of towns and cities – although our expanding network means our customers still have access to the most extensive 5G coverage in the UK - it's the quality and availability of your 5G connection that counts.

Marc Allera, CEO Consumer Division, BT Group. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @MarcAllera

BT has announced that Samsung’s latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 5G and Galaxy S20+ 5G, are available to pre-order from today on BT Mobile.

The hotly anticipated handset range is the culmination of more than a decade of S series innovation. The incredible display gives users the ability to experience every moment in full, edge-to-edge clarity that’s ideal for streaming the highest resolution entertainment as well as watching BT Sport. And with incredible ultra-wide cameras, the S20 series give BT customers infinite ways to get creative and the ability to capture the entire scene. BT’s 5G network is now available across 50 towns and cities across the UK.

The Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 5G and S20+ 5G are available on a range of price plans from BT. BT Broadband customers receive a £5 discount on all monthly plans for the new Samsung smartphones. Plans for existing BT Broadband customers include:

• The Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G for £10 upfront on a £64 per month plan with 30GB of data and unlimited UK minutes and texts. Customers who pre-order the smartphone before 8^th March 2020, can claim a free pair of wireless Samsung Galaxy Buds+

• The Samsung Galaxy S20 5G for £10 upfront on a £60 per month plan with 30GB of data and unlimited UK minutes and texts

• The Samsung Galaxy S20 for just £10 upfront on a £55 per month plan with 30GB of data and unlimited UK minutes and texts

Customers who order one of the new 5G Samsung Galaxy smartphones will receive BT’s fastest 5G speeds and inclusive access to the BT Sport app for the duration of their plan. BT’s 5G service provides a more reliable experience and higher speeds even in crowded areas at peak times – allowing customers to video call, stream and download without interruption at train stations, concerts and stadiums.

With BT Mobile, customers have total control over their bill, thanks to its simple tools to manage spending, including a monthly spend cap, a cap for spending while abroad, text notifications when at 80% and 100% of data limits and the BT Mobile app to monitor exact usage and allowance.

For more details of all BT’s price plans and terms and conditions, customers should visit BT.com/mobile.