Why BT Mobile, Why Now?

Customers no longer think of connectivity as separate services. They want reliability from a provider they trust and better value without compromising on performance. In a market where tariffs can feel overly complex, there is a clear opportunity to offer something simpler: easy-to-understand mobile plans built around the needs of BT broadband customers.

They want:

• Reliable home and mobile connectivity
• Simple, transparent mobile tariffs
• Help choosing the right plan
• Easier service management and control
• Confidence in service and support
• Better value from a provider they trust

These new BT Mobile plans are designed to meet those needs.

BT Mobile brings those benefits together in a more joined-up experience, with better value and greater simplicity for BT customers.

Great Value, Built Around Customer Needs

Great value sits at the heart of the new BT Mobile plans.

By bringing mobile and broadband together, we can offer real value without added complexity. Plans start from just £9 per month for 10GB of data when bundled with BT broadband, making it easier for households to stay connected for less.

The new tariff structure is deliberately straightforward: four clear data plans, flexible 30-day terms, and benefits included as standard, so customers can more easily choose the option that is right for them.

Value does not mean compromise. All BT Mobile plans include:

• EU roaming included as standard, so customers can stay connected while travelling
• Spam Protect, helping block scam and nuisance calls before they reach you
• Flexible terms, with 30-day rolling contracts so customers can scale data up or down as their needs change

Customers can choose from four clear data options – 10GB, 15GB, 30GB or 75GB – making it easier to find the right plan.

This is about delivering everyday value through simple, transparent tariffs.

BT Mobile Plans with Security in Mind

BT Mobile plans are also built on the security leadership we offer our customers.

At BT, we employ thousands of security experts and deploy network-level protections every second to help safeguard our network and customers from cyber threats.BT Mobile customers benefit from network-level blocks on spoof and suspicious numbers, alongside Scam Protect for added security.

UK’s most reliable mobile network

BT Mobile plans provide access to the UK’s most reliable mobile network, covering more than 99% of the population and over 90% of the UK’s geography. Customers also benefit from award-winning 5G in more places, supporting a faster, more dependable experience.

Trust is central to the BT brand, and it underpins everything we are delivering with BT Mobile – from tariff design to the quality, security and support behind it.

Customers can expect:

• Reliable performance built on proven infrastructure
• Strong coverage where it matters most
• A service experience grounded in transparency

Reliability is not just about connection. It is about knowing your service will be there when you need it, whether at home, at work or on the move.

Strengthening BT for the Future

BT Mobile is a key step in strengthening the BT proposition for the future and sharpening how we serve loyal broadband customers.

By bringing mobile and broadband closer together, we are:

• Deepening relationships with customers through a broader connectivity offer
• Offering better value through integrated broadband and mobile services

This reflects a clear focus on what BT has long stood for: dependable connectivity, trusted service and products that meet customer needs in a more converged market.

What This Means for Customers

For customers, the message is clear:

BT Mobile is back – simpler, more affordable and built around customer needs.

Whether you are already with BT or considering making the switch, BT Mobile offers:

• A simpler way to stay connected
• Better value when combined with broadband
• A service you can trust

It is about making life easier and ensuring that staying connected does not come at a premium.

That’s what we mean when we say BT is Behind Brilliant Things. This is just the beginning of our investment in the BT brand, and in the products and services that showcase our network, with more exciting launches planned for customers over time.

Get Started Today

To explore the new plans, see how much you could save by bundling, and get started, visit: https://www.bt.com/mobile

With the UK’s 40-year-old analogue landline network set to close at the end of January 2027, BT has revealed that the majority of its landline customers, over three million households, are already benefiting from safer, more reliable digital landlines. What’s more, new research* reveals that most Brits who have made the switch say they feel more reassured about making and receiving calls, thanks to the additional benefits digital landlines offer.

The UK’s ageing PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) runs on analogue copper infrastructure and has become increasingly unreliable. It no longer meets the connectivity standards expected in today’s digital age. Supported by Government and Ofcom, the nationwide move to digital landlines is delivering a more reliable and resilient service fit for the future. Similar upgrades are already underway or complete in countries including Australia, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

BT is investing more than any other provider into the UK’s digital infrastructure to support next-generation connectivity and services. This includes plans to bring full fibre – the UK's most reliable broadband technology – to 30 million UK homes and businesses and 5G+ mobile connectivity to 99% of the population. BT Group’s full fibre broadband network currently reaches two thirds of the UK’s homes and businesses and its 5G+ mobile network reaches 69% of the population.

Allison Kirkby, BT Group Chief Executive, said: “Upgrading the UK’s digital backbone is essential to make sure everyone has the modern, secure and resilient connectivity they can trust to help them prosper in a connected world. Failing, decades-old infrastructure holds back homes, businesses and digital inclusion ambitions.

“BT is currently one of the biggest investors into UK infrastructure and will have invested more than £40bn into the country between 2020 and 2030. We know that growth and opportunity is unleashed, as a result of our investment and when people, businesses and communities connect to our digital networks.

Time to Act:

In the final year of the nationwide upgrade, BT is reminding customers that support is available and that failing to respond to messages from their provider may result in disruption to their phone or broadband services as the switchover deadline approaches.

Supporting consumers and businesses:

The majority of BT handsets are compatible with BT’s digital landline service, and customers will generally keep their existing number and pricing when moving over. Customers may need to confirm their preferred option, plug their phone into their broadband hub, or book an engineer visit. Customers with additional needs, including those who use telecare devices or pendant alarms, should inform their provider as soon as possible so the right support can be put in place.

BT is also working with businesses of all sizes to support them in the upgrade, with around 80% of private and public sector customers now migrated their voice services from analogue to digital. Since the beginning of 2026, BT Business has now begun upgrading many remaining organisations through ‘protective migrations’ where possible, automatically moving their analogue services onto the right long-term digital solution.

All businesses who haven’t yet upgraded are being contacted directly to agree migration plans, test new solutions and confirm how services are used within their organisation – which is critical given not all services can be upgraded automatically. Engagement therefore remains vital, particularly in critical national infrastructure sectors, to avoid disruption and ensure services continue to operate safely and securely beyond 2027, with further information available here in this blog.

Protecting the Most Vulnerable:

Protecting customers with additional needs remains BT’s top priority and will continue to be a core focus throughout 2026 as the switchover progresses. As part of this ongoing commitment, BT continues to strengthen safeguards, including:

• Expert Guidance: BT established the Digital Voice Advisory Group in 2022, made up of charities and representative groups, to help inform and guide its approach to the digital landline switch. BT also continues to work closely with local authorities, telecare providers, charities and government as part of the PSTN Charter of Commitments, helping to ensure that vulnerable customers are identified and supported safely through the transition
• Data Sharing: 99% of Local Authorities have signed data-sharing agreements to help identify and protect telecare users whose devices may be connected to the analogue copper network.
• Professional Installation: Free in-home engineer visits for those who need extra help.
• Resilience: Provision of backup power solutions to help customers make calls during power cuts.

BT will maintain nationwide awareness through face-to-face events, regional outreach and accessible communications. Customers are advised to wait until they are contacted, but to take prompt action when they are. If you don’t, the services you rely on could be impacted.

Further information and support are available on our Connected Together site, or by calling 0330 1234 150.

ENDS

Note to Editors

*YouGov February 2026 insight of 2000 respondents who have switched to Digital Voice

LONDON, 4^th February 2026: The results of two landmark studies analysing mobile network performance across the UK have been revealed, with both finding that EE provides the most powerful and reliable mobile connectivity in the UK - benefitting millions of people and businesses in every part of the country.

In total, more than 5.7 billion individual testing samples were taken in a series of driving, walking and crowdsourced tests during studies from independent mobile analysts at RootMetrics and Umlaut Connect. This included bespoke testing in more than 40 major towns and cities across the UK, including 16 of the largest cities, as well as rural communities in each nation, to provide a clear and definitive picture of the performance of all the UK’s mobile network operators – EE, VodafoneThree and Virgin Media O2.

Claire Gillies, CEO at BT Group’s Consumer Division, said: “We’re proud to once again be recognised for our award-winning mobile network. These independent studies give people across the UK clear evidence of our network leadership and our commitment to delivering the best connectivity.

“In a digital world where fast, reliable coverage has never been more important, millions of consumers and businesses across the UK are benefitting from EE’s investment and focus to provide the fastest, most secure, and dependable connectivity. We continue to build on our commitment to giving customers access to the UK’s best mobile network.”

The first study by RootMetrics® is one of the longest running in the UK and takes six months to complete. It saw a team of independent analysts travel around the country examining mobile experiences in real-life situations, completing more than 600,000 tests in a variety of locations. ¹

The testing was focused on the UK’s largest 16 cities and rural communities in each of the four nations, as well as along 22,880 miles of roads and almost 800 indoor locations. The results found that:

• Overall, EE provides the most reliable mobile connectivity in more places than anyone else, naming it the UK’s best network for a record 25^th consecutive time.

• EE has the best network connectivity in the UK’s largest cities, including Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, London, and Sheffield.

• EE delivers the UK’s best 5G experience with the highest average 5G download speeds at 236.7 Mbps, significantly higher than Vodafone (144.3 Mbps), Three (198.3 Mbps) and Virgin Media O2 (111 Mbps).

• EE provides the UK’s highest quality network for watching videos, further improving its performance in the last six months in places such as Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Southampton.

• EE customers also get the best gaming experience across all UK networks, with the lowest jitter rates and highest average throughput – making gaming on the move smoother and more responsive.

This follows a second, separate study published recently by Umlaut Connect, which used its own in-depth testing in 40 towns and cities, as well as more than 5.7 billion crowdsourced data samples from across the UK, to assess which network provided the best connectivity in a wide variety of categories. ²

Overall, the study found EE had the UK’s best performing mobile network for the 11^th year in a row. While not all UK networks performed better this year, EE broke the record for the highest scoring UK operator in history (920 out of a total 1,000 points), extending its significant margin of leadership over second place and putting it in a category above all other UK networks.

  As well as the overall award, EE was also found to have:

• The UK’s most reliable network for both voice and mobile data services

• The highest quality mobile data in all major cities tested, including Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester, as well as aggregately in smaller cities and towns nationwide such as Durham, Merthyr Tydfil, Newbury, and Winchester

• The best network in London with the highest scores in all categories, including voice, mobile data, and reliability

• The best network performance on the UK’s road and railway routes, as well as the UK’s highest average 5G data speeds across all the cities and rail routes tested

These landmark results come after a year of significant developments with EE’s mobile network, in which its 5G network has been extended to be the largest in the UK according to Ofcom – covering over 90% of the population and more than half of the UK’s entire landmass.

As part of EE’s investment in enhancing 5G connectivity for its customers, its 5G+ network – the most advanced and powerful form of 5G – is now available to more than 47 million people; with plans to strengthen the network further and deliver the UK’s highest quality 5G+ connectivity to 99% of the population by Spring 2030. ³

2025 also saw EE’s deployment of outdoor small cells surpass 1,500 in towns and cities across the UK, increasing 4G and 5G capacity in densely populated urban areas such as airports, train stations, and shopping centres – enabling people to stay connected in the busiest places at peak times. Significant improvements in connectivity were also delivered at major event venues, with EE becoming the first operator to launch 5G+ at Wembley Stadium, as well as building new, permanent connectivity at Silverstone and Cheltenham Racecourse.

Aside from its network enhancements, EE also broke new ground by launching ‘Safer SIMs’- becoming the first major UK network to launch under 18’s smartphone plans designed to support young people at different stages of their digital development. These plans come with built‑in protections, including network‑level content controls, scam call blocking, spend caps and Stay Connected Data.

Business customers are also benefitting from the strength and reliability of EE’s mobile network, with the operations of major organisations like DEFRA and easyJet now being enhanced by smart, seamless connectivity – including the use of eSIM technology.

To see how all UK networks compared in both studies, read the full reports here:

RootMetrics
Umlaut Connect

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

¹ All rankings based on the RootMetrics® UK RootScore® Report: H2 2025. 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.

Here is a snapshot of the network awards EE has won following the independent testing conducted by RootMetrics® throughout the UK in 2025:

1.       The UK’s #1/Best Network (across the UK, the four nations, and all 16 specific major metropolitan markets)
2.       The UK’s #1/Best Network 12.5 years and counting
3.       The UK’s #1/Best Network twenty-five times in a row
4.       The UK’s Fastest Network
5.       The UK’s Most Reliable Network
6.       The UK’s Best Network for Video
7.       The UK’s Best Network for Gaming
8.       The UK’s Most Reliable Network for Mobile Gaming
9.       The UK’s Best Network for Data Performance
10.   The UK’s Best 5G Experience
11.   The UK’s Best Network for Calls

² The 2026 Umlaut Connect Mobile Network Test in the UK consists of drive tests and walk tests conducted from October 27th to November 8th, 2025. Four drive test cars together covered approx. 10,170 kilometres, visiting 16 cities and 24 smaller towns. Additionally, two walk test teams visited ten cities and travelled on trains between them as well as to more remote destinations. The test areas account for 16.7 million people. In addition, the results of extensive crowdsourcing analyses, considering 24 weeks from end of May (calendar week 22) to early November 2025 (CW 45) are included in the score.

³ EE has stated its ambition to deliver 5G+ connectivity to 99% of the UK population by the end of March 2030: https://newsroom.bt.com/scaling-uk-mobile-coverage-for-all/

Last year, we set a record-breaking score for the UK, becoming the first network to ever break the 900 barrier – an achievement which placed EE in a class above every other UK operator. This milestone still stands, and this year we’ve gone even further, achieving an incredible score of 920 and extending our already significant lead over second place.

EE also performed best in each of the nine major cities where local performance was analysed, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast¹, as well as in testing on railways and across over 5.7 billion samples of crowdsourced data. That means whether they’re gaming, video-calling or streaming, customers in these cities, and right across the UK, enjoy an unbeatable experience.

The results come just a few weeks after we experienced a new record data peak on our mobile network of 1.79 Tbps, demonstrating the ever-increasing need for reliable mobile connectivity in our personal and professional lives. Which is why we’re also especially proud of the fact that we’ve also been named within Umlaut’s report as the most reliable network for both voice and data services.

It takes a huge amount of work to keep enhancing our mobile network leadership performance while meeting growing customer demand – and doing so as we continue to expand coverage, including this year doubling the size of our 5G+ network, which now reaches over 68% of the UK population, with an ambition to cover 99% by the end of FY30.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on some of the brilliant milestones and innovations of the past 12 months, all of which have contributed to the recognition we’re seeing from Umlaut today:

• We achieved a world-first in launching Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC), a smart technology that lets nearby mobile sites share capacity. This means faster speeds (around 20 per cent quicker downloads) and more reliable 5G in busy places like city centres and train stations – without needing extra masts.

• We’ve also improved upload for customers, becoming the first operator in Europe to deploy a new generation of Ericsson Massive MIMO units for up to 4x greater uplink performance than previously – increasingly important for everyday activities like live-streaming and mobile gaming.

• Our comprehensive network of outdoor small cells – miniature masts which help to boost mobile capacity in the busiest urban areas – now stands at 1,500 nationwide following over 500 new installations across the UK, including our very first deployments in towns and cities such as Belfast, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Preston and Bolton.

• Complementing this work, we’ve also delivered improved indoor connectivity across a host of venues where it’s needed most, from shopping centres and travel hubs to some of the country’s most iconic sports and events venues like Cheltenham Racecourse.

These milestones underline how our commitment to enhancing and densifying the EE network is delivering a tangible difference for customers – faster speeds, greater reliability, and better connectivity where it matters most, with our brilliant engineers working tirelessly year-round to make it all possible. Achieving a record-breaking score isn’t just an accolade; it’s proof that our strategy is working. As demand for mobile data continues to grow, we’ll keep pushing the boundaries to ensure EE customers continue to enjoy the best possible experience on the UK’s best network. 

¹ _{Full list of cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Manchester}

More than half a million EE customers across the UK have received a boost to their mobile connectivity in time for Christmas, after the operator gifted 5G+ access to customers with compatible smartphones ¹.

As part of its latest network rollout, 20 new towns and cities are now also live with 5G+ ahead of the busy festive season – benefiting a further 1.6 million people.

With new research ² showing the most common time for people in the UK to start their festive shopping is in mid-to-late November, EE is making it easier for the nation to prepare for the Christmas holidays – whether it’s buying presents and groceries online while on the move or staying connected to family and friends while exploring festive events in towns and cities across the UK.

As the UK’s most advanced mobile technology, 5G+ delivers a stronger, more reliable mobile signal - especially in busy places like high streets and city centres where there is high demand for mobile connectivity. 5G+ also provides improved download and upload speeds so customers can video call, livestream and use social media without interruptions or buffering – perfect for helping people share their special festive experiences with loved ones.

Alongside enabling more customers to access its 5G+ network, EE is continuing to expand its coverage footprint at unprecedented speed and scale. Just over a year on from launch, EE has made 5G+ available to more than 44 million people (equivalent to 66% of the entire UK population), surpassing its original coverage target by five months. ³

5G+ on EE is now available in all the UK’s major cities and most populous towns, including those with Christmas markets and festive attractions such as Bath, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, York, Belfast and London. It has also been deployed at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland which, as the UK’s largest outdoor Christmas market, attracts around 3 million visitors over the festive period.

EE’s long-term plan will see 99% of the UK population get 5G+ connectivity by Spring 2030. As part of the next phase of its rollout, EE has made 5G+ available in 20 new locations across the UK in the run up to Christmas, with a total population of more than 1.6 million people. These locations include:

1. Ballymena

2. Burton-on-Trent

3. Chelmsford

4. Dewsbury

5. Ellesmere Port

6. Gateshead

7. Greenock

8. Hamilton

9. Hartlepool

10. Hatfield

11. Hereford

12. Londonderry/Derry

13. Newark

14. Oldham

15. Rochdale

16. Solihull

17. Stafford

18. Stevenage

19. Tamworth

20. Warwick

“This time of year is all about connecting with the people and things we care about most. With millions of people travelling to visit family, heading to the high street for their gifts, and enjoying the best festive events the UK has to offer, we’re expanding EE’s 5G+ network so the nation can benefit from its high capacity, ultra-reliable connectivity and stay connected to what matters to them this Christmas,” said Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group.

One of the additional benefits of 5G+ technology is the ability for operators to use network slicing to deliver a guaranteed quality of experience and offer customers – both consumers and businesses - unique connected experiences. Several high-profile network slicing trials have been completed on EE’s 5G+ network at major events in the last year, including Belfast Christmas market, Sail GP in Portsmouth and England men’s and women’s football matches at Wembley Stadium.

5G+ is currently available on all EE pay monthly handset plans, as well as its Full Works and All Rounder SIM-only plans. With more than 15% of all EE pay monthly customers now accessing 5G+, millions of people in the UK are now benefiting every day from the enhanced network performance it offers.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

¹ More than 500,000 EE customers who took out a pay monthly handset plan between September 2024 and March 2025 have been given access to EE’s 5G+ network. A full list of 5G+ compatible smartphones and devices can be found here: www.ee.co.uk/help/mobile/manage-use/using-phone-features/5G-plus

² According to a survey by Opinium of 2,000 UK adults in September 2025, which found that 78% of shoppers have started buying gifts at least one month before Christmas.

³ Original coverage target was to make 5G+ connectivity on EE available to more than 41 million people by spring 2026 (equivalent to 60% of the UK population). At the time of writing EE has delivered 5G+ to 66% of the UK population, equal to more than 44 million people.

Photo credit: Brian Morrison

About EE

EE is the UK’s best network, offering superfast mobile and broadband connection to millions across the UK. With an ambition to be the country’s most trusted connector of people, EE’s network and services keep consumers connected and entertained.

EE’s 4G, 5G and 5GSA speeds cover more than 90% of the UK, while EE’s super reliable broadband is available at more than 99% of UK premises, with guaranteed speeds to keep people streaming, gaming, watching TV and connecting to the things that matter most.

EE’s mobile network continues to receive extensive recognition including UK's best overall network by RootMetrics® every year since 2014, as well as being named Best Network for Consumers at the Mobile Industry Awards for the last four years since 2022.

EE is committed to offering first class service in the industry and has nearly 400 stores across the UK. In 2023, EE launched its new experiential retail strategy opening its flagship EE Studio and Experience stores nationwide. The innovative approach to retail in the telco industry has seen EE receive multiple awards of recognition including Retailer of the Year at the Mobile Industry Awards in 2024 and 2025, and Best New Store for the EE Studio at the Retail Week Awards in 2024.

EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised for putting people and culture at the heart of the company at the Cnect Wales Awards in 2025.

EE is part of BT Group'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

We're doing all we can to be smart with our cost base and we're incredibly careful about what we pass on to customers. And we want to be clear about how and when any changes to prices will occur.

From 31 March we’ll roll out our annual price change, with customers on two types of model across our brands: Pounds and Pence and CPI+3.9%.

Why two models? In December 2023, Ofcom asked communication providers to move away from inflation-linked mid-contract price rises. We were the first operator in the UK to introduce a Pounds and Pence price change, aligned with Ofcom’s approach offering our customers a predictable long-term view of their annual price rise for the duration of their contract term.

Putting a number on it

So, from 31 March 2025, for new and re-contracting mobile customers on the Pounds and Pence model, this annual increase will be an extra £1.50 a month. It will be £1.50 a month for connected devices (including laptops, tablets and smart watches), £2 a month for TV customers, and £3 a month for broadband customers.

There will be customers on our CPI+3.9% model, because they were already in contract before we introduced the Pounds and Pence change. There will also be some customers with a mix of the two models across different products.

For CPI+3.9%, we use the December rate calculated by the Office of National Statistics to calculate our price change. This was 2.5%, which means a price change of 6.4% (CPI:2.5% + 3.9%). On average, this year’s change is around £2 to £3 per month – a very small part of an average household's bill.

A total of 2.6 million customers will be excluded from price change. This includes our Social Tariff customers, landline only customers who don’t have broadband with us or another provider, and those with PAYG on mobile.

For everyone else, this small increase means we can keep giving our customers even more with the latest tech across fibre and mobile as we roll out 5G standalone and Wi-Fi 7 – setting a new standard for connectivity in and out of the home – continue to invest in our network and keep our most financially vulnerable customers connected. 

We’re the UK’s best mobile network for 11 years in a row, and one of the country’s fastest broadband providers. The quality of those network is the foundation that means we can bring our customers so much more as demand continues to increase. Average mobile data useage, for example, has more than trebled in the past five years, and mobile download speeds have doubled. 

With customers using more data and getting faster speeds, these relatively small price increases mean we can give them the networks they need.

After nine years with BT Group, Marc will be stepping down as CEO of Consumer on 31 March 2025, following the handover period with Claire. Claire will become CEO of BT Consumer, on April 1.

Allison Kirkby said: “Marc has been an outstanding leader of BT’s Consumer unit, contributing significantly to the company’s growth, and to multiple key initiatives such as leading the team through the integration of EE into BT Group, the creation of the BT Sport joint venture with Warner Bros Discovery, and launching New EE as our lead consumer brand.  I am also grateful to Marc for his support to me this year, and for the support I know he’ll give to Claire as they work alongside each other over the next few months. As he moves on beyond BT in the Spring of next year, we all wish him every success.

“I’m delighted to welcome Claire to BT. She brings a wealth of international telecoms experience and has a track record of driving growth in both consumer focused and retail businesses. She will be a brilliant addition to our team as we continue to grow BT’s Consumer division, and EE into the UK’s leading consumer brand for converged connectivity.”

Claire Gillies said: “I am beyond excited to take this role at such an important British company. BT and EE are two of the UK’s most iconic brands leading the industry and connecting people to the things that really matter. I can’t wait to join Allison and the broader BT team as we pursue our mission to become the UK’s most trusted connector of people, devices and machines.”

Marc Allera said: “I’m proud to have led an incredible team through enormous change in the market, and the evolution of the company for the past nine years. In that time we have transformed every aspect of our operations to deliver great service to our 25m customers across the UK, with everything they need for our fast-moving world of technology. We’ve created a fantastic platform for growth, and I wish Claire the very best for the future. While I’m looking forward to the next chapter, I’ll be leaving with great memories of my time at BT and EE, and want to thank every single one of my colleagues who has contributed to our success together.”

About Claire Gillies

Claire has more than 23 years’ experience in telecoms, having worked at Bell Canada since 2000 in a variety of senior leadership roles. Most recently, she was President of Bell Canada’s Wireless and Consumer Divisions where she ran a business generating CA$14bn (c.£8bn) in revenues with more than 8,000 colleagues and over 20 million customer subscriptions. 

Claire also ran The Source, Canada’s largest consumer electronics retailer and has a BSC and MBA. She was the winner of the Top Executive award by the Globe and Mail, in addition to Alumni of the Year for McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum Fellow’s Program and proud vice chair of Kids Help Phone, a youth mental health charity. She is also co-chair of their Feel Out Loud Campaign.

From day one, this means enhanced mobile and broadband performance, inside and outside of the home, through better speeds, increased capacity, and lower latency. And longer-term, it’s also an important milestone in our ambition to deliver a seamless and fully converged connectivity experience, where our mobile, fixed and public WiFI networks work together to give you the best and most reliable performance no matter where you are and what you’re doing.

But before we delve into that, let’s first focus on some of the brilliant benefits that these technologies bring in the here and now, starting with WiFi 7.

WiFi 7

Our newly launched Smart Hub Pro and Smart WiFi Pro enable EE Home Broadband customers to be amongst the first in the world to be offered a next-gen WiFi 7 router. Offering much broader capacity and a substantial increase in peak data transmission performance, WiFi 7 – when used together with the Smart Hub Pro and Smart WiFi Pro, gives EE customers access to ultra-reliable multi-gigabit Wi-Fi throughout the home.

That means faster speeds, less interference, more capacity and the performance to support a host of high-bandwidth activities at the same time – be that cloud gaming, immersive AR/VR, or 4K/8K video streaming.

With the average home expected to double the number of WiFi connected devices in the next five years, Smart Hub Pro and Smart WiFi Pro enable customers to truly benefit from the game-changing speeds and reliability of WiFi 7.  

5G Standalone

5G Standalone is the next evolution of our mobile network, essential to unlocking the true potential of 5G by untethering it from the underlying 4G network. A network that’s both built on and ready for AI, it’s all about bringing greater network performance and reliability to our customers, as well as unlocking a new wave of capabilities for both businesses and consumers.

We always said that we wanted to be best when launching 5G Standalone, rather than first. That’s why we’ve launched in 15 cities across the UK – including Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London – and crucially have focused on ensuring uninterrupted 5G Standalone connectivity, launching with at least 95 per cent coverage in each of these cities.

This is of course just a starting point, and we’ll continue to bring 5G Standalone to more and more of the UK population over the coming months. It’s not just about the short-term evolution though, 5G Standalone also enables us to offer new services to our customers. Take network slicing as an example, a configuration which gives us the ability to prioritise performance even at the busiest times — perfect for mobile gaming, streaming or video conferencing on the move.

For businesses this is especially exciting. It’s easy to imagine a multitude of different scenarios where being able to count on this quality of service will have a major impact. It could be food or merchandise vendors at a packed stadium, able to run their mobile payments systems from a network slice – keeping their queues moving and their customers happy. While at the very same event, another slice is supporting broadcasters to ensure high quality live-feeds can be delivered to production facilities in real-time.

The future of connectivity

All that goes to say that with 5G Standalone and Wi-Fi 7, our customers will benefit from the latest and best connectivity, both in and out of the home. But our vision doesn’t stop there – as we mentioned before, 5G Standalone and WiFi 7 are also the foundational pieces of an exciting networks ambition…

Both our mobile and fixed networks are built on a converged cloud core which enables the flexibility and scalability that we need to meet the evolving connectivity requirements of our customers. This was a massive project, and essential to us being where we are today in launching two fantastic new networks.

Now we want to bring that same level of convergence to our customers. A few weeks ago we took a first step towards this with EE One, providing simplicity and control to consumers in the pricing of our networks. Now it’s about bringing those networks together physically. What that means is a highly intelligent network of networks, with seamless transition between cellular and Wi-Fi. A network that’s as versatile as the things you use it for, and adapts to your life in the background.

So you’ll benefit from uninterrupted, reliable and high-speed connectivity as you go about your day – switching between our networks without even noticing. And this is what we mean when we talk about redefining connectivity. Right now, when your connectivity is bad, that’s when you notice it - a call drops or you lose connection to an online gaming session, simply because you’ve moved from one location to another and with it have switched networks. Our ambition is to remove those siloes – creating networks which complement rather than contradict one another – and ultimately delivering the best and most reliable connectivity experience possible.

BT Group’s Consumer division has re-started switching zero-use landline customers who have a broadband connection to its Digital Voice landline service. This follows an industry-wide pause and the introduction of the Government’s Charter to protect vulnerable customers, especially telecare users, while making the switch from analogue to digital landlines.

BT Consumer customers (except landline-only customers, those who use telecare or who have additional needs) will be contacted and offered the chance to switch to a digital landline provided over full fibre broadband, where available. This move aligns with BT Group’s wider strategy to build and connect customers to its future-proof, full fibre broadband, which will be available to 25 million premises by the end of 2026.  

BT Business is urging all of its customers to engage early and to partner with the company ahead of making the switch, especially where there may be a requirement to test existing or upgrade to new equipment to ensure compatibility with a digital line.

The revised approach will result in a single switch for the majority of customers (businesses and consumers) – from copper to fibre - with all customers now expected to have moved off the old analogue PSTN by the end of January 2027.

Howard Watson, Chief Security and Networks Officer, BT Group, said: “The urgency for switching customers onto digital services grows by the day because the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile. Managing customer migrations from analogue to digital as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary provisions for those customers with additional needs, including telecare users, is critically important.

“Our priority remains doing this safely and the work we’re doing with our peers, local authorities, telecare providers and key Government organisations is key. But more needs to be done and we need all local authorities and telecare providers to share with us the phone lines where they know there’s a telecare user.”

The digital switch requires collaboration across a range of industries and organisations

During the voluntary pause, the company has continued to raise awareness of the UK’s digital switchover on a region-by-region basis, holding hundreds of events across the country and meeting thousands of its customers face to face.

In January BT Consumer led the formation of the Telecare Action Board (TAB), which has brought together around 30 organisations from Government, the telecoms and telecare sectors, industry bodies, local authorities and regulatory stakeholders to identify and protect telecare users and those with additional needs before they switch to digital.

Coming together was the first step, collaborating was the second. The whole industry must now step up to deliver for customers in the spirit of the Charter, providing the transparency which is critical to the success of this programme. So far, only around a quarter of local authorities and telecare providers have disclosed which phone lines have telecare devices on them; it's now imperative that every single one of these organisations do the same so that these customers receive the right support at the right time.

A gradual approach to switching

April 2024, BT Consumer resumed non-voluntary migrations for customers who have not used their landline in the last 12 months, who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, have not contacted an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) in the last 24 months and live in an area where a data sharing agreement - which identifies vulnerable customers and detects alarm numbers is in place with the Local Authority or Telecare provider. Switching them to a digital landline provided over full fibre where available on an opt out basis initially.

From Summer 2024, BT Consumer will ramp-up non-voluntary migrations for customers who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, in areas where data sharing agreements have been signed with the local authority or telecare provider.

For customers who don’t use broadband, which includes landline-only consumer customers and business customers with specialist connectivity requirements, including some alarms, lift and emergency lines, ATMs and payment terminals, the company is working on an interim, dedicated landline service¹ designed to keep these customers connected while moving them off the analogue PSTN.

New equipment will be installed in local telephone exchanges that will allow consumer and business customers who do not have broadband to use their landline in the same way as they do today until a digital solution becomes available or 2030, if that comes sooner. Trials have already begun with a nationwide rollout for eligible customers expected this Autumn.

BT Business is urging all of its business and public sector customers to register their interest to test this temporary ‘pre-digital phone line’ product, so it can work with them to understand specific business use cases.

From Spring 2025, BT Consumer will contact customers who identify as vulnerable or with additional needs about the switch in areas where data sharing agreements with Local Authorities or Telecare companies are in place and in-home support for telecare users is available.

All customers will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to a digital landline. Engineering appointments will be made ahead of the switch and additional support will be provided on the day to ensure that customers are left with a working telecare device.

Backing Businesses

The company is asking business customers, large and small to act now and move over to all-digital networks, to futureproof their operations and reap the rewards of being a digital business. 

Business customers are being encouraged to review their technology footprint and identify what’s still connected to the PSTN. BT Business has a team of experts to support, and any business can test their equipment for free at its R&D test centre at Adastral Park in Suffolk. Where possible, they should then proceed to switch any legacy equipment to an All-IP alternative. 

BT’s Business team is also working with Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) customers in sectors like energy, water, transport, health and national security – to guide them seamlessly away from the PSTN and onto more reliable, resilient and future-fit technology.

Towards the UK’s full fibre future

For both Consumer and Business customers, this once-in-a-generation, UK-wide upgrade will ensure that everyone stays reliably connected now and into the future. The UK’s full fibre future is a national mission, and BT Group is determined to support its customers through it every step of the way.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• Further information about the industry wide change can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-transition-from-analogue-to-digital-landlines

Continued support for customers

The company will continue to maintain its strict policies to protect telecare users and vulnerable customers where they are made aware of their status and will continue to provide resilient solutions to customers who are dependent on their landline. These include:

• Providing free battery back-up units to customers with additional needs, such as those with health pendants, or who are over 70 or without mobile coverage. Battery back-up units enable calls in the event of a power outage and later this year, we will launch an advanced battery back-up unit outlasting most power cuts, with a battery life that far exceeds the minimum Ofcom requirements.
• Offering customers a hybrid phone with a battery back-up of eight hours and enabling calls over the mobile network in the event of a power outage.  
• Continued investment in our leading 4G network, which is on course to pass 90% of the UK’s geographic landmass by the mid-2020s, building additional resilience into our core network and providing reliable connectivity to rural communities through the Shared Rural Network programme. 
• Engineering appointments for all customers who identify as vulnerable and have additional needs, with the ability to nominate a family member, friend or carer to help them through the switch, who will receive all the information about switching on the customers behalf. Vulnerable customers will automatically receive the equipment they need and they won’t be switched until they have spoken to an advisor and booked an appointment.  
• In home support for telecare users, known as ‘Prove IP Telecare’, due to launch in Spring next year where an Openreach engineer will support a customer through the switch from an analogue to digital landline and will make sure that the telecare device is working before leaving the property. If the telecare device isn’t working, then the engineer will switch the customer back to an analogue landline.

BT Consumer will not move any of its customers who are known to be vulnerable or with additional needs until Spring 2025 at the earliest, once the necessary data sharing agreements with Local Authorities or Telecare companies are in place and in-home support for telecare users is available.

¹ The dedicated landline service is not compatible with broadband and will allow customers without broadband to stay connected.

Following Ofcom’s recent consultation, the way we communicate and charge for the contracts we provide (for both new and re-contracting customers) is going to change.

What are we changing?

We currently use a model that was introduced as part of Ofcom’s Fairness for Customers commitments in 2019 that adjusts customer pricing every year, on 31^st March, by the rate of inflation (CPI) +3.9%.

At the end of last year, Ofcom shared a consultation advising that prices linked to inflation can be confusing for customers, because they don’t have certainty on exactly what their price change will be. They don’t know because inflation can go up by different amounts each year, and isn’t set until the December CPI figure is published in January. They made clear that while price increases within contract are okay, they must be set out more clearly. 

Ofcom is proposing an amended regulation requiring that any price change written into a customer's contract needs to be set out in pounds and pence, prominently and transparently, at the point of sale. That includes being clear about when any changes to prices will occur.

We're listening, and we've taken this on board.

Ofcom will finalise its decision on the proposed requirements in the coming months, with new pricing models in place no later than four months after that.

So, starting in early summer, we will introduce a pricing model consistent with Ofcom’s approach, moving away from % figures and CPI, and offering instead, a clear and simple view of any changes in “pounds and pence”. For new and re-contracting mobile customers we expect this increase to be from £1.50 (for Sim Only and Airtime, for example), and for broadband customers £3.

Until then, we continue to follow the existing rules, with our annual March 31^st price increase of CPI + 3.9% going ahead as per normal.  This means that most of our customers can expect an increase of a few pounds per month, about the price of a takeaway coffee each month.

Helping people under pressure

Our new pricing model isn’t for all our customers, however. There will be no changes for our customers in financially vulnerable circumstances on EE Basics or BT Home Essentials.

The cost of living and a digitally inclusive society are now more relevant and important than ever. We are continually thinking about how we – and the wider industry – can play our part alongside policymakers to drive meaningful change, at a time when we can see so many people under pressure.

I am proud that we have led the market for many years, first with BT Basic, (for some time the only social tariff for phone lines and broadband on offer across the entire industry), and more recently our fibre-based broadband tariff Home Essentials. Today we provide broadband for 72% of those in the UK who take social tariffs.

At the same time, customers' consumption of data, across the industry, has trebled across mobile and fixed networks in the past five years alone. All this, while telco services continue to make up only a small and declining share of household outgoings, representing just 3.5% of average monthly basket spend.

In real terms, people pay less for their connectivity now than they ever did and get much more. As an industry, we continue to give our customers outstanding value for money.

We’ll continue to offer our customers the best and most reliable connection on our networks, with the latest tech and brilliant UK-based service. And we’ll let our customers know clearly and in good time how the way we communicate and charge for their contracts is going to change.

It’s all part of our ambition to be the most personal, customer-focused brand in the UK.

Follow me on X and Instagram @marcallera

Together, this culminated in us winning multiple awards and EE being named the UK’s best and most reliable network by RootMetrics for a record tenth year in a row, following extensive testing of the nationwide performance of all the UK’s mobile operators. Our network leadership – especially our 5G performance in major cities like London and Edinburgh – was also reinforced in Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations Report.

These achievements take hard work, a laser focus on wanting to build a network that people can rely on, and choosing to invest in a network to make that vision a reality.

But more important than awards and milestones, this year our network delivered a superior connectivity experience for more people, in more places, more of the time. And that is something we take immense pride in.

Every day our network – both fixed and mobile – empowers our customers to stay connected to the people and things that matter most to them. Whether it is video calling their kids while commuting home from work, seamlessly streaming their favourite TV shows and sports matches, enjoying low-latency online gaming with friends, or ordering that last present online so it arrives in time for Christmas, our network underpins it all.

The rural rollout continues

As we look back over the last twelve months, one of the areas where there has been considerable progress is the continued rollout of 4G to more rural communities across the UK.

4G is the most widespread and reliable form of mobile technology available today and as part of our work with the Scottish Government’s 4G infill programme (S4GI), residents, local businesses, and the emergency services in 51 locations across Scotland – including some of the UK’s most remote island communities like Foula, Jura and Out Skerries – now have access to reliable and fast 4G mobile connectivity from EE.

For some, this new mobile internet access has “opened up a whole new world” of online shopping just in time for Christmas. For others, like the owners of the Deerness Distillery in Orkney, it is helping support the growth of their business at a vital time, while for healthcare services like those provided by the Jura Medical Practice, it is supporting life-saving treatment for critically ill patients.

We have also made important progress this year on our commitments under the Shared Rural Network (SRN). Having upgraded or built more than 1,500 4G masts as part of the SRN, spanning every region of the UK, we are not only on track to meet our rural coverage targets by summer 2024, but our network is leading the way in proactively helping close the digital divide between rural and urban areas.

In the last five years, we have been able to expand our 4G footprint by more than 10,000 square kilometres, helping ensure we continue to deliver the connectivity boost countryside communities across the UK can rely on in 2024 and beyond.

Yorkshire Water is just one of many rural businesses capitalising on the new connectivity, using our 4G network to connect state-of-the-art IoT (Internet of Things) monitors on water courses feeding its Scar House reservoir, enabling its team of scientists and engineers to monitor water quality in real-time and ensure they are delivering for the local community and the environment.

And it’s not just 4G connectivity we’re bringing to rural areas. Our partnership with OneWeb has now delivered fast and reliable internet on Lundy Island off the coast of North Devon for the first time via Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites!

A need for speed

Like most years, 2023 also saw us support major events, festivals, and local shows with additional network capacity. From iconic one-off spectacles like the King’s coronation and the UK’s hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest, to the biggest annual racing events like the Formula One British Grand Prix and Cheltenham Festival, we rolled out 125 upgrades on temporary mobile masts to boost the speed, capacity and reliability of our network in the busiest of places - delivering a fan experience worthy of these iconic events.

Certain events also required us to be creative with the deployment of our network infrastructure too. For instance, every August the population of Edinburgh doubles as more than 500,000 people visit the city for its renowned Fringe Festival. To help boost mobile coverage in the busiest areas of the city, we deployed numerous small cell sites to help enhance street-level mobile coverage in areas where it is impractical to build larger masts. This meant we ensured the city's mobile network had the capacity to cope with this significant increase in demand during festival season.

This is a strategy we have successfully implemented across the country in 2023, with more than 600 UK-wide small cell sites currently carrying more than 20TB of data traffic every single day – the equivalent of streaming 280,000 hours of music.

But it is not just about boosting temporary network capacity. With hundreds of thousands of customers descending on Silverstone, Glastonbury, and Wembley to support their favourite drivers, artists, and football teams this year, our permanent 5G sites in these areas also ensured the big crowds could connect and harness the performance of our network to capture and share life-long memories.

In fact, since we became the first operator to launch a 5G service in the UK back in 2019, we have increased the average mobile download speed for our customers by 121%.

Keeping connectivity on track

We have worked hard to make sure our network not only supports customers where they live, work, and socialise, but also how they get there – and that is something we have made great strides in boosting this year. Our 5G network now covers more major road and rail routes than ever before, including around the UK’s busiest and largest train stations.

Whether they are travelling from Exeter St Davids, Birmingham New Street and London Waterloo, or Glasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly, Cardiff Central, Kings Cross or St Pancras International, commuters and tourists can benefit from reliable mobile connectivity.

But it is not just above ground. Our connectivity upgrades throughout Transport for London’s underground network have also been crucial in elevating the rail experience in the UK’s capital. This year saw high-speed coverage go live at the first West End stations and was recently followed by the first four Elizabeth Line stations amongst others.

Over the past year, commuters on the Northern and Central lines alone have already used 424.5TB of data, which is the equivalent of spending 28 million hours surfing the internet.

New year, same vision

As the festive period begins and 2023 draws to a close, this next twelve months will see us continue to proactively invest in our network as we work towards realising our vision of being the first operator to deliver a 5G ‘on demand’ connection anywhere in the UK by 2028.

It will also see us continue to roll out full fibre broadband connections to millions more homes and develop new innovations to make our network more efficient and sustainable for future generations, helping us have a greater positive impact on our customers, the planet, and the UK economy in 2024.

As part of ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to support customers making the switch, we welcome the introduction by Government of an industry charter. We are fully supportive of the formation of this charter and efforts to encourage Local Authorities and telecare providers to work with the industry on information sharing agreements, which will help us to identify telecare users before they switch.

The urgency for switching customers onto newer digital services grows by the day because the resilience of the 40-year old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile. It’s critically important that we manage customer migrations from old to new as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary provisions for those customers with additional needs, including telecare. The charter of commitments will help significantly in achieving these objectives.

Collaborating with local authorities and telecare providers

We want to reassure our customers that we will continue to maintain strict policies to protect telecare users and vulnerable customers where we are made aware of their status. For those who use telecare, we will only switch them to Digital Voice where we, the telecare provider or the customer can confirm their service is compatible and functions using a digital landline. We offer these customers free resilience solutions such as battery back-up units and hybrid phones. Customers who are unsure or who have told us that they have a telecare device which isn’t compatible with a digital landline will not be switched until they tell us they’re ready.

We work with some participating local authorities and telecare providers across the country to identify users through information sharing agreements and we regularly ensure our data remains up to date. However, we would urge all local authorities and telecare providers to share their data with us so we can cross-reference this against our own database.

Meanwhile, we’ll continue to work with our Digital Voice Advisory Group*, charity partners, housing associations, care homes and key industry groups to shape our approach to supporting vulnerable customers to ensure that our processes are designed to meet their needs. This includes check-in points with customers, via text message and postcards to encourage them to test to ensure their service is working and to make sure they have the right back-up solutions in place.

Supporting our customers

Together with Government, Ofcom, telecoms providers, charity partners and key industry groups, BT is working hard to ensure that everyone knows about the change, how they will be impacted and what they need to do.  Further information about the industry wide change can be found here: UK transition from analogue to digital landlines - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We’d also encourage any vulnerable customers who have concerns or who haven’t told us about their circumstances to give us a call on 0330 1234 150. To find out more about BT’s new home phone service, Digital Voice, please visit: www.bt.com/digital-voice

Notes to Editors

*Members of the Digital Voice Advisory Group include Age UK, Department of Health and Social Care, Independent Age, Rural Services Network, and Which? amongst others.

As scammers are known to target vulnerable groups online during the festive period, the one-hour live webinar will reveal the most common tricks and tactics to watch out for.

Register here for the free event on December 12th, either for yourself or on behalf of loved ones who could benefit from understanding more about the online world. All those who register for the session will receive the recording afterward, even if they can't attend on the day.

The event is part of BT Group and AbilityNet’s partnership to support older and digitally excluded people with navigating the online world.

It comes as research* from BT Group highlights older internet users, who may be more vulnerable to online scams, are keen to develop their online confidence. It reveals two thirds (65%) of older people think there’s no age limit on learning new skills, with almost half (49%) open to learning tech skills specifically. 

Victoria Johnson, Social Impact Director at BT Group, said: “If you or someone you care about could benefit from learning more about scams, then join us for ‘The 12 Scams of Christmas’ webinar.

“The run up to Christmas is a time when we’re all online more, shopping for presents or booking events. But it’s also a time when scammers are ready to take advantage of people who are less tech savvy and perhaps aren’t online as much throughout the rest of the year.

"At BT Group, we understand the significance of supporting older and digitally excluded individuals to navigate the digital world. Through our partnership with AbilityNet and initiatives like this webinar, our goal is to empower people with the knowledge needed to feel confident online.”

Lucy Walsh, Digital Skills Trainer at AbilityNet, said: “Almost all of us will, at some time or another, be enticed by ‘scammers’ to part with our hard-earned cash, or our sensitive personal data. This kind of illegal activity is particularly rife during the festive season. 

“So, at this time of year, it's even more important that we spread the word about how we can take action to identify and avoid some common tactics used by online fraudsters.

“Older people, disabled people and those who are less confident with technology are particularly vulnerable to scams, so here at AbilityNet, we want to share some tips and tactics to help keep us all safer online and have a happier, safer Christmas”.

Felicity Oswald, NCSC Chief Operating Officer, said: “As we enter the festive shopping period, online shoppers will naturally be on the lookout for bargain buys. Regrettably, cyber criminals view this time of year as an opportunity to scam people out of their hard-earned cash. I would urge shoppers to join the ‘12 Scams of Christmas’ webinar and also follow the steps in the Cyber Aware online shopping guidance, which includes setting up two-step verification and using passwords with three random words, so they’re easier to remember and harder to hack.”

 www.abilitynet.org.uk/ScamsWebinar

ENDS

Notes to editors

*Research carried out by OnePoll in October 2022 of 1500 people over 60 years of age in the UK.

BT has today announced plans to roll out its new home phone service, Digital Voice, across Greater London during November and December.

Having already started the regional rollout of Digital Voice in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, Northern Ireland and the North West, BT will now focus efforts on engaging with communities across the nation’s capital.

An industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines will see BT and many other telecoms operators in the UK provide services over a broadband line, similar to work taking place in many other countries around the world. 

This once-in-a-generation upgrade to future-proof the UK’s landlines is essential and will replace technology that is fast becoming obsolete. The landline is here to stay, and for the majority of customers, making the switch simply involves plugging your phone into a broadband router instead of into a wall-mounted phone socket, bringing new benefits such as advanced spam call blocking. 

Customers in Greater London will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to Digital Voice. For almost all customers, Digital Voice will have no impact on how they use their home phone. They’ll still have the same service, and price plan and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99% of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order. 

Vicky Hicks, Senior Engagement Manager at BT, said: “BT customers in Greater London will benefit from a tried and tested service, with around two million BT customers already having made the switch and benefitting from the many advantages of digital home phones from advanced scam call filtering capabilities to crystal-clear call audio. 

“For almost everyone, moving to Digital Voice will be a simple and free transition with no home installation work required. If you feel you need additional support with the transition or you think you are vulnerable, please do tell us. We will be with you every step of the way.” 

BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant
• Customers who only use landlines
• Customers with no mobile signal
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs.

Customers who fall into any of these categories should contact BT to ensure their data is up to date.

Customers over the age of 70 are not initially being proactively switched to Digital Voice. However, since July 2023, BT has been trialling switching customers between 70-74 who live in urban areas and are ready to make the switch, i.e. they have the latest broadband hub and are not frequent landline users. These trials have gone well to date, with 98% of customers choosing to make the switch.

Engaging with the Greater London community 

BT’s regional approach will be supported by general awareness communications, and advertising campaigns, delivered across local, regional and national media to explain to customers the simple steps required to make the move to Digital Voice. 

Upcoming engagement activities in Greater London include: 

Townhalls: BT will be present in townhalls across the region in November and early December to address customer questions on the ground. Customers will be able to speak to BT advisors, test Digital Voice products as well as take part in digital skills training. The first townhalls to be confirmed are as follows: 

• 7th November - Hornchurch Library, 44 North Street, Hornchurch, RM11 1TB
• 14th November - Hatch End Suites (in car park) Harrow Arts Centre, 171 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, HA5 4EA
• 5th December - St. Mildreds Church, 30 Bingham Road, Croydon, CR0 7EB
• 11th December - Dugdale Arts Centre (Thomas Hardy House), 39 London Road, Enfield EN2 6DS

Pop-up Events: BT will tour every borough over the course of November and early December to ensure customers across Greater London and surrounding areas can speak to BT staff about the switch and try out the new technology for themselves. Confirmed dates and locations: 

• 7th-8th November - Bexley - Broadway Shopping Centre, Broadway, Bexleyheath, DA6 7JN
• 7th-8th November - Hoddesden - Stanboroughs Conservative Club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon, EN11 8EP
• 9th-10th November - Sutton - Dobbies Garden Centre, Woodcote Green, 4a Woodmansterne Lane, Wallington, SM6 0SU
• 9th-10th November - Welwyn Garden City - Morrisons, 40 Black Fan Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1RY
• 11th November - Greenwich - Greenwich Central Library, 12 Lambarde Square, London, SE10 9HB
• 11th-12th November - St Albans - The Maltings Library, The Maltings, St Albans, AL1 3JQ
• 13th-14th November - Lewisham - Carenden Rise Car Park, London, SE13 6BJ
• 13th-14th November - Watford - Morrisons, Ascot Road, Watford, WD18 8AA
• 15th-16th November - Southwark - East Street Market, East Street, London, SE17 1EL
• 15th-16th November - Hounslow - Osterley Garden Centre, Windmill Lane, Osterley, Isleworth, TW7 5PR
• 17th November - Hillingdon - Ickenham Library, long Lane, Ickenham, Uxbridge, UB10 8RD
• 17th-18th November - Lambeth - Lambeth Library, 180 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1QP
• 19th-20th November - Harrow - Harrow Garden Centre, Headstone Lane, Harrow, HA2 6NB
• 21st-22nd November - Bromley - 162 High Street, Bromley, BR1 1HE
• 21st-22nd November - Brent - Brichen Grove Garden Centre, Birchen Grove, London, NW9 8RY
• 23rd-24th November - Reigate - Woodhatch Community Centre, Whitebeam Drive, Reigate, RH2 7LS
• 23rd-24th November - Barnet - The Spires, 111 High Street, Barnet, EN5 5XY
• 25th-26th November - Epsom - Tadworth Community Centre, Preston Manor Road, Epsom, Tadworth, KT20 5FB
• 25th-26th November - Camden - Camden Town Centre, Judd Street, London, WC1H 9JE
• 27th-28th November - Weybridge - Weybridge Garden Centre, New Haw Road, Weybridge, Addlestone, KT15 2BU
• 27th-28th November - Islington - Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, London, N1 2UD
• 29th-30th November - Merton - South Mitcham Community Association, Cobham Court, Haslemere Avenue, Mitcham, CR4 3PR
• 1st-2nd December - Enfield - British Garden Centres Enfield, Cattlegate Road, Crews Hill, Enfield Middlesex, EN2 9DX
• 3rd-4th December - Wandsworth - Battersea library, 265 Lavender hill, London, SW11 1JB
• 5th-6th December - City of Westminster - Church Street Library, 67 Church Street, London, NW8 8EU
• 7th-8th December - Kensington & Chelsea - Brompton Library, 210 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5 0BS
• 11th-12th December - Richmond Upon Thames - Hillier Garden Centre, Syon Park, Park Road, Brentford, TW8 8JF
• 11th-12th December - Redbridge - The Exchange Shopping Centre, High Street, Ilford, IG1 1RS
• 13th-14th December - Ealing - Ealing Town Hall, New Broadway, London, W5 2BY
• 15th-16th December - Twickenham - Richmond Rugby Club, Twickenham Road, Richmond, TW9 2SF

The remaining regions and nations set to make the switch over the next year can be found on BT’s press room: BT announces regional rollout schedule for Digital Voice.

Full information of dates and which boroughs, towns and cities will be hosting BT events will be available on the Digital Voice website: www.bt.com/digital-voice. 

ENDS

BT has today announced the next phase in the rollout of its new home phone service, Digital Voice, to UK customers on a region-by-region basis.

Following successful pilots in Salisbury (Wiltshire) and Mildenhall (Suffolk), BT announced plans earlier this year to start contacting customers on a phased region-by-region basis across the country. Starting with the East Midlands in July, Yorkshire and the Humber in August and Northern Ireland in September, customers are contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure that they are ready to move to Digital Voice.

Today, BT has announced the remaining regions and nations set to make the switch over the next year: 

Autumn 2023

• North West
• London

Spring 2024

• West Midlands
• South East
• Wales
• East Anglia

Summer 2024

• North East
• Scotland
• South West

Throughout the programme, BT will also be contacting some broadband customers in England, inviting them to switch their landline to Digital Voice in advance of local and regional campaigning in their area.

The landline is here to stay

The move comes as part of an industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines, where calls are made over a broadband line, and will see BT and nearly all other landline operators in the UK, including Virgin Media O2, supporting their customers in making the switch by the end of 2025.

The landline isn’t going away but is being upgraded to replace the decades old analogue technology that is increasingly unreliable and is no longer supported by suppliers and manufacturers. Customers risk facing increased service outages if this urgent infrastructure upgrade isn’t carried out now by BT and other operators. This new future-proof, digital landline technology is also a major step towards preparing the country for a Full Fibre future, in support of the UK Government’s gigabit connectivity ambitions.

Digital Voice will have no impact on how BT customers use their home phone and will not cost any more than customers pay today. They’ll still have the same service, and price plans and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99% of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order.

In support of its regional approach and building on the successful starts in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside, BT is explaining to customers the simple steps required to make the move to Digital Voice through local and regional media and advertising campaigns. BT will also have a high street presence and hold local ‘town hall’ drop-ins to answer customer questions in person.

Initially, BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant
• Customers who only use landlines
• Customers with no mobile signal
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs.

Customers who fall into any of these categories should contact BT to ensure their data is up to date.

Customers over the age of 70 are not being proactively switched to Digital Voice. However, since July 2023, BT has been trialling switching customers between 70-74 who live in urban areas and are ready to make the switch, i.e. they have the latest broadband hub and are not frequent landline users. These trials have gone well to date, with 98% of customers choosing to make the switch, and pending further consultation with the Digital Voice Advisory Group, BT will look to extend this trial nationally.

Lucy Baker MBE, All-IP Director, BT Consumer, said: “Through the work with our Digital Voice Advisory Group and our regional engagement, we’ve held 40 events, placed local radio and newspaper ads and met over 4,000 customers in person.

“We understand that any change can be unsettling, and we’re here to support our customers every step of the way. First-hand experience shows that once people have the facts and have spoken to one of our advisors, they feel confident to make the switch.

“If we’ve not been in touch or visited your area yet, don’t worry. We’ll be in touch when it’s time to switch. For anyone who has any issues, questions or concerns, then I’d encourage them to get in touch and let us know.”

Sarah Brain, Free Services Manager at AbilityNet, said: “Here at AbilityNet our staff and volunteers have been supporting BT to raise awareness of Digital Voice around the UK, and in particular to help those more nervous about the switch to give them the reassurance they need to make the move. 

“As a charity we support older and disabled people with technology at home every day, so we know that the world of tech can seem daunting.  The roadshows have been a great opportunity for us to work alongside BT to support those customers, and the ‘in person’ aspect is so important to answer any questions and concerns individual to them.”

Supporting customers every step of the way

BT has established and continued to work closely with its Digital Voice Advisory Group* – an association made up of charities and representative groups – who have been advising on the needs of customers most affected by the switch. Feedback from this group and its members has helped to shape the approach the company is taking.

BT and the industry, with the support of industry body, Tech UK, have been engaging with healthcare pendant and burglar alarm providers who will also need to upgrade their customers’ equipment to ensure that the most vulnerable customers continue to get the service they need.

A host of additional support and services will also be available including:

• The ability for customers to nominate a family member, friend or carer who will receive all the information about switching on their behalf.
• When vulnerable customers start to make the switch, they'll automatically receive equipment and an engineer appointment. Their switch won't go ahead until they have spoken to an advisor and booked an appointment.

For peace of mind in the event of a temporary power cut, BT will provide additional resilience to those who need it most, including:

• Free battery back-up units for Digital Voice customers with additional needs, who identify as vulnerable and/or live in an area without mobile signal. Customers without additional needs can also choose to purchase a battery back-up unit. 
• A hybrid phone that can switch to a mobile network and has an in-built battery for Digital Voice customers without a mobile phone.

In readiness for the December 2025 deadline, Openreach have taken steps to end the sale of new analogue services across the UK. That means when customers who have access to broadband sign up for a new contract – or when they switch, upgrade or re-grade their service via their provider – they’ll be moved onto a new digital landline rather than an analogue one.

Customers without broadband will not be switched to a digital landline until they are able to. BT will install new equipment in the local telephone exchange that will allow customers to use their phone in the same way as they do today. This temporary solution will keep customers connected until they are able to make the switch to Digital Voice and will help BT to retire its analogue service by the end of 2025.   

Together with Government, Ofcom, telecoms providers, charity partners and key industry groups, BT is working hard to ensure that everyone knows about the change, how they will be impacted and what they need to do as a result.  Further information about the industry wide change can be found here: UK transition from analogue to digital landlines - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

To find out more about BT’s new home phone service, Digital Voice, please visit: www.bt.com/digital-voice

ENDS

Notes to Editors

*Members of the Digital Voice Advisory Group include Age UK, Department of Health and Social Care, Independent Age, Rural Services Network, and Which? amongst others. This group of stakeholders have been incredibly important in helping to shape our plans for how we approach the move to digital home phones.

Useful links:

• UK Government website: UK transition from analogue to digital landlines - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Ofcom: Moving landline phones to digital technology: what you need to know - Ofcom
• Which?: Digital Voice and the landline phone switch-off: what it means for you - Which?
• Age UK: Changes to landline telephones | Age UK
• Local Government Association: Digital switchover hub | Local Government Association

Case study: Marlene’s story

Marlene came to our town hall event in Leeds after receiving her invitation to find out about Digital Voice. She has her landline and broadband with BT, but only uses broadband for on demand TV programmes, so her telephone is her only means of keeping in touch with her loved ones. Here’s what she had to say to Alexander Clark and Macauley Green from our Customer Service team:

“It was so helpful to have it explained to me personally and I could ask questions. I’m not great with technology – I can’t even send a text message! My daughter had broadband connected for me so I can keep up with all my programmes, but I wouldn’t know where to begin surfing the web!

“Now I understand what’s happening with the telephone lines it’s a lot like when the television went digital and I didn't need my portable aerial anymore.

“At first, when I heard about Digital Voice I was worried I would lose my landline but Alexander and Macauley put my mind at rest that I’ll still be able to use my home phone and keep in touch with my family and friends - it will just be even better.”

Any of our customers who have been contacted about making the switch (regardless of their age) has the ability to call us with any questions or concerns and can defer their migration for the time being.

That said, every major evolution in mobile networks requires a responsible and considered approach to ensure people understand what is happening, when, and why; as well as have the dedicated support available to help them make the transition successfully.

As we get closer to January 2024 and the start of EE’s 3G switch off - which we plan to complete by March - that is something we have been working hard to deliver on.

A win for Warrington

Our 3G pilot in Warrington this summer saw the town become the first place in the UK where EE’s 3G network was switched off. It was a significant milestone in our journey to enhance Britain’s mobile infrastructure and helped inform the approach for our nationwide retirement of 3G.

Following the smooth switch off there were no customer complaints about network coverage or performance. Importantly, there were also no capacity issues on either our 2G or 4G networks, despite a natural rise in traffic as more people relied on them every day.

Having collaborated closely with the local community – including Warrington Borough Council – in the run up, we were able to successfully transition our business customers in the area away from 3G, leaving the town ready to capitalise on its bright future in the digital age.

That future will also be more sustainable now too. 3G represents around 35% of our mobile network’s total power consumption - massively outweighing its usage which is falling all the time. Retiring the technology is one of the best steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint, as modern networks like 4G and 5G are not only faster and more reliable for customers but also up to ten times more efficient. In fact, we estimate that switching off our 3G network across the UK will save the equivalent amount of energy needed to fully charge up to four billion smartphones, making it better for the planet as well as our customers.

Keeping the vulnerable connected

To make sure our consumer customers that are registered as vulnerable are not left behind – and the cost of upgrading is not a barrier – we are offering each one of them a free 4G-ready mobile phone (or a discount on a monthly plan if they would prefer to choose their own handset). Having adopted this approach for our pilot in Warrington and seen its success, we will now be rolling it out across the country to support those 3G customers who need it most.

As part of our long-standing partnership with AbilityNet – which delivers digital skills training to over 65’s across the UK – we have also prepared a 3G factsheet to help elderly and vulnerable people, and their families, clearly understand why 3G is being retired and what steps they can take to make sure they are not impacted. More than 4,000 people will have received AbilityNet training by the end of 2023 as part of group and one-to-one sessions in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, London, and the South Coast.

A new era for our mobile network

These are not the only positive steps we have made in the run up to the start of our nationwide 3G switch off from January 2024. We have also implemented several enhancements to the radio technology used in our EE mobile network to ensure customers whose phones already support 4G connectivity (but may default to 3G) can stay connected to it for longer – giving them a better and more reliable experience.

For those who do not have a modern handset or plan, our 2G network (which like our 4G one provides 99% population coverage) has been tuned to be their fall back for voice calls and texts. The results are as you might expect: 3G usage on the EE network fell to record lows this summer, accounting for just 0.6% of total data downloaded and 7% of voice traffic.

According to Ofcom’s Mobile Matters 2023 report, EE customers only spend 2.7% of their time connected to 3G which is the lowest amount of time of any UK mobile operator. This number is going to keep falling as customers upgrade and we continue to expand the reach of our 4G and 5G networks to more people across the UK, including to traditionally hard-to-reach rural communities who need it most, as well as major towns and cities and iconic stations on the London Underground.

The sun sets on 3G

While 3G delivered everything we expected it to twenty years ago, it has now been made redundant by the widespread rollout of newer mobile technologies. Retiring 3G means we can reuse the spectrum to strengthen our 4G and 5G experiences (which the majority of customers use every day) and make sure more communities have access to a fast, reliable and sustainable mobile network.

When our 3G network switches off early next year it will be a landmark moment. And while its retirement is more of a network evolution than a revolution, it sets the scene for many exciting developments to come in the years ahead.

To discover more about the 3G switch off, visit www.ee.co.uk/3g-switch-off.

BT recently announced plans to roll out its new home phone service, Digital Voice, on a region-by-region basis. Having started in the East Midlands in July and Yorkshire and the Humber in August, BT will now move on to Northern Ireland.

An industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines will see BT and many other telecoms operators in the UK provide services over a broadband line, similar to work taking place in many other countries around the world.

This once-in-a-generation upgrade to future-proof the UK’s landlines is essential and will replace technology that is fast becoming obsolete. The landline isn’t going away, and for the majority of customers, making the switch simply involves plugging your phone into a broadband router instead of into a wall-mounted phone socket, bringing new benefits such as advanced spam call blocking.

Customers in Northern Ireland will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to Digital Voice. For almost all customers, Digital Voice will have no impact on how they use their home phone. They’ll still have the same service, and price plan and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99% of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order.

Vicky Hicks, Senior Engagement Manager at BT, said: “BT customers in Northern Ireland will benefit from a tried and tested service, with around two million BT customers already having made the switch and benefitting from the many advantages of digital home phones from advanced scam call filtering capabilities to crystal-clear call audio.

“For almost everyone, moving to Digital Voice will be a simple and free transition with no home installation work required. If you feel you need additional support with the transition or you think you are vulnerable, please do tell us. We will be with you every step of the way.”

Initially, BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant
• Customers who only use landlines
• Customers with no mobile signal
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs

BT will take extra time and will provide additional support to customers who are over 70 and are ready to make the switch. 

Engaging with the people of Northern Ireland

BT’s regional approach will be supported by general awareness communications, and advertising campaigns, delivered across local and regional media to explain to customers the simple steps required to make the move to Digital Voice.

Upcoming engagement activities in Northern Ireland include:

Townhalls: BT will be present in townhalls across Northern Ireland in September to address customer questions on the ground. Customers will be able to speak to BT advisors, test Digital Voice products as well as take part in digital skills training. The first two townhalls to be confirmed are as follows:

• 19^th September, 10:00 – 15:00: Girdwood Community Hub, 10 Girdwood Avenue, Belfast, Antrim BT14 6EG
• 26^th September, 10:00 – 15:00: Foyle Arena, 2 Limvady Road, Derry/Londonderry, BT47 6JY

Pop-up events: BT will be hosting pop-up stands in garden centres and libraries so customers can have one-to-one conversations with BT staff. The first locations that have been confirmed are:

• 20^th September:
  • 10:00 – 14:00: Enniskillen Library, Halls Ln, Enniskillen BT74 7DR
  • 10:00 – 14:00: Lisburn City library, 23 Linenhall St, Antrim, Lisburn BT28 1FJ
  • 10:00 – 14:00: Coleraine Library, Queen St, Coleraine BT52 1BE
• 27^th September:
  • 10:00 – 14:00: Ballymena Central library, 5 Pat's Brae, Ballymena, Antrim, BT43 5AX
  • 10:00 – 14:00: Newry City Library, 79 Hill St, Newry BT34 1DG
  • 10:00 – 14:00: Portadown Library, Church St, Portadown BT62 3LQ

Demonstration vehicle: BT will tour nine towns and cities over the course of September to ensure customers across Northern Ireland can speak to BT staff about the switch and try out the new technology for themselves. Confirmed dates and locations:

• 1^st to 4^th September: Belfast, Cityside Retail & Leisure Park, 100-150 York Street, BT15 1WA
• 5^th and 6^th September: Antrim, The Junction Retail Park, 111 Ballymena Road, BT41 4LL
• 7^th and 8^th September: Bangor, Bloomfield Retail Park Bangor, South Circular Road, BT19 7HB
• 9^th and 10^th September: Belfast, Connswater Shopping Centre, Bloomfield Avenue, A20, BT5 5LP
• 11^th and 12^th September: Banbridge, The Boulevard, Cascum Road Outlet Park, BT32 4LF
• 13^th to 16^th September: Lisburn, Sprucefield Retail Park, Hillsborough Road, BT27 5UQ
• 17^th to 19^th September: Omagh, Omagh Town Centre, 1 Omagh Street, Market Square, BT78 7EE
• 20^th to 22^nd September: Londonderry, Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre – Limavady, Lisnagelvin Road, BT47 6DF
• 23^rd and 24^th September: Antrim, Junction Leisure & Retail Park, 111 Ballymena Road, BT41 4LL

Full information of dates and which towns and cities will be hosting BT events will be available on the Digital Voice website: www.bt.com/digital-voice.

ENDS

BT recently announced plans to roll out its new home phone service, Digital Voice, on a region-by-region basis. Having started in the East Midlands, BT is now moving on to Yorkshire and the Humber. 

An industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines will see BT and many other telecoms operators in the UK provide services over a broadband line, similar to work taking place in many other countries around the world. 

This once-in-a-generation upgrade to future-proof the UK’s landlines is essential and will replace technology that is fast becoming obsolete. The landline isn’t going away, and for the most of customers, making the switch simply involves plugging your phone into a broadband router instead of into a wall-mounted phone socket, bringing new benefits such as advanced spam call blocking. 

Customers in Yorkshire and the Humber will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to Digital Voice. For almost all customers, Digital Voice will have no impact on how they use their home phone. They’ll still have the same service, and price plan and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99% of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order. 

Vicky Hicks, Senior Engagement Manager at BT, said: “BT customers in Yorkshire and the Humber will benefit from a tried and tested service, with around two million BT customers already having made the switch and benefitting from the many advantages of digital home phones from advanced scam call filtering capabilities to crystal-clear call audio. 

“For almost everyone, moving to Digital Voice will be a simple and free transition with no home installation work required. If you feel you need additional support with the transition or you think you are vulnerable, please do tell us. We will be with you every step of the way.” 

BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available: 

• Customers with a healthcare pendant 
• Customers who are over 70 
• Customers who only use landlines 
• Customers with no mobile signal 
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs 

Engaging with the Yorkshire and the Humber community 

BT’s regional approach will be supported by general awareness communications, and advertising campaigns, delivered across local and regional media to explain to customers the simple steps required to make the move to Digital Voice. 

Upcoming engagement activities in Yorkshire and the Humber include: 

Townhalls: BT will be present in townhalls across the region in August to address customer questions on the ground. Customers will be able to speak to BT advisors, test Digital Voice products as well as take part in digital skills training. The first two townhalls to be confirmed are as follows: 

• 2^nd August, 10:00 – 15:00: Leeds, Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre West Yorkshire, LS6 3HN  
• 22^nd August, 10:00 – 15:00: Sheffield St Marys’ Church & Community Centre, Bramall Lane, Sheffield, S2 4QZ 

Pop-up events: BT will be hosting pop-up stands in garden centres and libraries so customers can have one-to-one conversations with BT staff. The first locations that have been confirmed are: 

• 4^th August, 10:00 – 14:00: Skipton Library, High St, Skipton, BD23 1JX 
• 9^th August, 10:00 – 14:00: Ripon Library, Ripon The Arcade, Ripon, HG4 1AG     
• 16^th August, 10:00 – 14:00: Driffield Library, Driffield Cross Hill, Driffield, YO25 6RQ 
• 17^th August, 10:00 – 14:00: Pocklington Library, 23 Railway St, Pocklington, York, YO42 2QU  
• 23^rd August, 10:00 – 14:00: Malton Library, St Michael St, Malton, YO17 7LJ 
• 31^st August, 10:00 – 14:00: The Buttercross Brigg, Brigg, DN20 8ER 

Demonstration vehicle: BT will tour 12 towns and cities over the course of August to ensure customers across Yorkshire and the Humber can speak to BT staff about the switch and try out the new technology for themselves. Confirmed dates and locations: 

• 2^nd  and 3^rd August: Grimsby, Morrisons, DN37 7SQ 
• 4^th and 5^th August: Goole, BGC, HU15 2UJ 
• 6^th and 7^th August: Bridlington, Morrisons, YO16 4SY 
• 8^th  and 9th August: Doncaster - Lakeside, DN4 5JH
• 11^th and 12^th August: Rotherham, Morrisons Catcliffe, S60 5TR 
• 13^th and 14^th August: Barnsley, Wombwell Retail Park, S70 3NS 
• 15^th and 16^th August: Wakefield, Morrison, WF2 9BY  
• 17th and 18th August: Huddersfield Town Centre Macaulay Street HD1 2JY
• 19^th and 20^th August: Halifax, Morrisons, Keighley Road, HX2 8HY 
• 21^st, 22^nd and 23^rd August: Bradford, City Park, BD1 1HY 
• 24^th, 25^th and 26^th August: Harrogate, Crimple, HG3 1EW 
• 28^th and 29^th August: York - Vangade Retail Park YO32 9AE

Full information of dates and which towns and cities will be hosting BT events will be available on the Digital Voice website: www.bt.com/digital-voice. 

At the beginning of June, we launched our new flagship store, the EE Studio in White City, London. It’s the UK’s largest telco retail space, combining physical and digital experiences to guide visitors through every stage of their connected lives.

Today, we’ve opened the doors to customers at the first of our new Experience stores – in Cardiff. Other EE Experience stores in Manchester and Bluewater, Kent, will follow. Experience stores will look and feel very much like our Studio store, only on a smaller scale. These wonderful spaces showcase the direction we are taking with New EE and our nationwide retail strategy, which seeks to reinvigorate the high street and reinvent the role of retail in the telco industry.

Our new stores are designed with innovation, personal experience, and community front and centre and bring technology to life for customers up and down the country.

Retail’s important role in our connected lives

So, why are we looking to create standout IRL experiences at a time when so much of our lives are lived online?

We're all using more connected devices, all the time. Our world is becoming more complex, more confusing and there's no one, really, helping you navigate through that complexity and all those devices. We think there's a big part our retail spaces can play in that.

Our Studio store has been a long time in the making. A couple of years ago, we were coming out of the Covid pandemic and it was a challenging time for the high street. A lot of brands were thinking hard about what they should do with their retail estate. Was it still relevant? Should they move everything online?

We went through that same process. The most important thing in all of that is how our customers still feel. They told us that retail is still really important – as are contact centres, as are our digital channels.

At the same time, we really got thinking about our New EE brand, the direction it was taking, EE becoming our flagship and the ambition we have to be the most personal consumer brand in the UK. And as a key part of that, we are rethinking our retail strategy and raising the bar in terms of what we create for our customers on the high street.

We've all heard for many years about how retail is moving from functional more towards experiential. There are few brands and places that have really put their money where their mouths are and created great experiences.

We think what we have with our Studio store and our Experience stores will create great experiences for customers, making the complex world of technology and connectivity simpler.

We want our Studio and Experience stores to be that much more welcoming. We hope we're creating the antithesis of the traditional mobile phone store – this is not about customers walking in, we sell them something and we'll see you in two years for an upgrade. We want them to come back the next week, and the week after. Because every week, we should have something different to say to them, a different event and a different experience.

Serving our communities, closing the digital divide

As part of being a welcoming space, we want our stores to play a more vital role in the communities they serve.

So, what does that look like in London?

On Saturday, we kicked off our Westfield Studio store’s partnership with Our Power Hub with the first of an ongoing calendar of free tech workshops that we’ll run throughout the summer. Our Power Hub is a community group created after the Grenfell Tower Fire to support residents and improve their quality of life by providing free access to events, activities and community projects.

Fathima Hakkim, a professional illustrator and novelist, led Saturday’s Digital Art Workshop using the latest technology and apps. She guided children through the process of digital art creation and animation, giving them tips and tricks on sketching, drawing and colour blending.

We want to encourage people to learn new skills and for local people to feel like our Studio store is part of the local community, not just part of Westfield Shopping Centre. And, building into EE’s wider purpose as part of BT Group, working with Our Power Hub is another way we are helping tackle the digital divide.

Details about upcoming sessions will be available on the digital screens on the EE Studio shopfront, as well as the Our Power Hub website.

Together with Our Power Hub, we are dedicated to making a lasting impact and contributing to a more inclusive and connected society.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @_bridgetlea

We want to be a personal guide – helping our customers navigate the complex world of technology, devices, platforms, subscriptions and services.

We’re also walking hand in hand with some of the most exciting tech companies in the world to bring our customers the best experiences possible and connect them to new products and services. Today, we’ve unveiled the latest example of that: our partnership with NVIDIA on its cloud gaming service, GeForce NOW.

With the cloud gaming bundles that our teams have worked so hard to put together, we’re able to not only provide customers with membership for one of the best streaming platforms – but also offer them the hardware and data too, helping to make high-level gaming even more accessible and affordable to customers across the UK.

It’s another part of EE’s ongoing ambition to become the number 1 destination for gamers in the UK. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle, and what we’re doing with New EE that we’re bringing to life this summer.

Reinventing retail with our new stores

The networks, platforms and partnerships – such as the one we have with NVIDIA – mean we are pioneers in so many technologies. As a business, we invest billions in technology every year. But we also know that millions of customers still value that personal touch. That’s what our brand is all about. We want EE to be a personal brand that makes sense of the world of technology for our customers.

So, we’re big believers in retail.

Our new EE Studio store in London’s White City is another glimpse into the world of New EE we're building. The space that we've created really says something about our new brand, what it stands for and how we will play a much bigger role in our customers' lives.

Our Studio store brings to life what we’re doing with New EE. It’s designed to help customers build their connected life and home with trusted advice from our guides, and also features one of the UK’s largest dedicated community gaming hubs and a Digital Spa to support digital wellbeing. We’re even selling smart fridges there!

It’s also a hub for the local community to work, learn and play. And I can’t wait to see what our teams have built for the communities in our Experience stores we'll soon be launching in Cardiff, Manchester and Bluewater.

A new standard for home broadband

On the same day we told the world about our new store last month, we also revealed our plans to launch a Full Fibre 1.6Gbps service and a new range of in-home hardware – featuring back-up from EE’s award-winning mobile network. This will be supported by best-in-class Wi-Fi controls designed to help improve experiences in and around the home.

Our new supercharged home broadband services will set the standard for broadband for years to come. The new speeds, hardware and controls have been developed using the experience and expertise of the world-leading BT R&D teams at Adastral Park, and are designed to help customers manage their increasingly busy households.

This will see us bring customers not just the UK’s best mobile network, but the best in-home connectivity too, and marks the next step by EE as lead consumer brand for the BT Group.

A new cloud gaming partnership, new stores and the best Full Fibre home broadband. This is just the start of the new products, services and experiences we will bring our customers. And it really shows how momentum is building for the New EE that we’re creating as we become a new brand and service that does more.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @marcallera

BT recently announced plans to roll out its new home phone service, Digital Voice, on a region-by-region basis, starting with the East Midlands.

An industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines will see BT and many other telecoms operators in the UK provide services over a broadband line, similar to work taking place in many other countries around the world.

This once-in-a-generation upgrade to future-proof the UK’s landlines is essential and will replace technology that is fast becoming obsolete. The landline isn’t going away, and for the most of customers, making the switch simply involves plugging your phone into a broadband router instead of into a wall-mounted phone socket, bringing new benefits such as advanced spam call blocking.

Customers in the East Midlands will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to Digital Voice. For almost all customers, Digital Voice will have no impact on how they use their home phone. They’ll still have the same service, and price plan and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99% of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order.

Vicky Hicks, Senior Engagement Manager at BT Group, said: “BT customers in the East Midlands will benefit from a tried and tested service, with around two million BT customers already having made the switch and benefitting from the many advantages of digital home phones from advanced scam call filtering capabilities to crystal-clear call audio.

“For almost everyone, moving to Digital Voice will be a simple and free transition with no home installation work required. If you feel you need additional support with the transition or you think you are vulnerable, please do tell us. We will be with you every step of the way.”

BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant
• Customers who are over 70
• Customers who only use landlines
• Customers with no mobile signal
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs

Engaging with the East Midlands community

BT’s regional approach will be supported by general awareness communications, and advertising campaigns, delivered across local and regional media to explain to customers the simple steps required to make the move to Digital Voice.

Upcoming engagement activities in the East Midlands include:

Townhalls: BT will be present in townhalls across the region in July to address customer questions on the ground. Customers will be able to speak to BT advisors, test Digital Voice products as well as take part in digital skills training. The first two townhalls to be confirmed are as follows:

• 5^th July, 10:00 - 17:00: Bolero Suite, The Motorpoint Arena, Bolero Square, Nottingham, NG1 1LA
• 18^th July, 10:00 – 17:00: Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 54 Belvoir Street, Leicester, LE1 6QL

Pop-up events: BT will be hosting pop-up stands in garden centres and libraries so customers can have one-to-one conversations with BT staff. The first locations that have been confirmed are:

• 11^th July: Grantham Library, Newton Street
• 12^th July: Sleaford Library, Market Place
• 19^th July: Burton Library, Burton-on-Trent
• 20^th July: The Grange Garden Centre, Melton Mowbray
• 25^th July: Newark on Trent Library, Beaumond Gardens
• 27^th July: Stamford Library, High Street

Demonstration vehicle: BT will tour 12 towns and cities over the course of July to ensure customers across the East Midlands can speak to BT staff about the switch and try out the new technology for themselves. Confirmed dates and locations:

• 10-11^th July: Dobbies Garden Centre Northampton, Newport Pagnel Road, Wooton
• 12-13^th July: Dobbies Garden Centre Harlestone Heath, Harlestone Road
• 14^th July: Kettering Market, High Street
• 15-16^th July: Willow Place, Corby
• 17-18^th July: Dobbies Garden Centre Stapleton, Ashby Road
• 19-20^th July: Gates Garden Centre, Somerby Road, Cold Overton
• 21^st-22^nd July: Notcutts Wheatcroft, Landmere Lane
• 23^rd July: Dobbies Garden Centre, Derby
• 24^th-25^th July: Market Place, Mansfield
• 26^th-27^th July: Dobbies Garden Centre Chesterfield
• 28^th-29^th July: Louth Garden Centre, Legbourne Road
• 30^th-31^st July: Dobbies Garden Centre Boston

Full information of dates and which towns and cities will be hosting BT events will be available on the Digital Voice website: www.bt.com/digital-voice

ENDS

June 2023

EE has now successfully deployed over 600 street-level mobile sites, known as small cells, across the UK, delivering on its commitment to add hundreds of new sites to the 200 announced just over one year ago.

A further 411 small cell installations are now delivering enhanced capacity in high demand areas, including in major cities such as Birmingham, Brighton and Sheffield, ensuring customers can take advantage of download speeds of up to 300Mbps even at the busiest of times.

Other new locations to benefit from EE’s ongoing small cells deployment include the cities of Swansea, Leicester, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Southampton and York. Meanwhile a host of seasonal hotspots have also received a timely connectivity boost ahead of the Summer, including Newquay, Paignton, Salcombe, Southend-on-Sea and Clacton-on-Sea.

Small cells take advantage of existing street assets, such as BT’s iconic red telephone boxes, to help enhance street-level mobile coverage in busy areas where it’s impractical to build larger sites, such as city-centres and transport hubs. As well as being located on phone boxes, lamp posts and CCTV columns, EE has installed approximately 60 small cells on BT’s innovative new digital Street Hubs, further maximising the benefit of these assets to communities.

EE’s 611 small cell sites currently carry 20TB of data traffic every day – the equivalent of streaming 8,000 hours of HD video or 280,000 hours of music – demonstrating the substantial value they offer to customers in high demand areas, as well as the importance of EE’s strategy to build prior to the arrival of any congestion whenever possible.

Sites are identified via advanced network analytics, which highlights specific locations that would most benefit from the performance boost enabled by a small cell. Then, working alongside Nokia, EE deploys a 4G small cell solution which couples its licenced 1800MHz and 2600Mhz spectrum with unlicenced 5GHz spectrum to deliver standout speed and capacity.

James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access Networks, EE: “As demand for data continues to rise, small cells are becoming an increasingly integral part of our mobile network. Our partnership with Nokia ensures customers continue to benefit from our fastest 4G speeds even at the busiest times and in the most congested of locations, and we’re proud to pass another milestone in this project as we continue to invest in improving the UK’s best mobile network* up and down the country.”

Mark Atkinson, SVP, Radio Access Networks PLM at Nokia: “Nokia has an extensive portfolio of high-capacity outdoor and indoor small cells that deliver premium 4G and 5G network performance in dense urban and in-building environments. This latest deployment will ensure that EE’s customers benefit from seamless connectivity particularly in congested or high-demand areas at multiple cities across the UK. We are delighted to continue our partnership with EE and support their ambition to deliver the country’s best network.”

EE’s continued network investment will see hundreds more small cells deployed in the coming months, both in existing and new towns and cities. EE is also trialling the extension of small cells to accommodate its 5G network, with Nokia’s AirScale portfolio able to seamlessly upgrade to 5G.

Last year, EE announced its first such small cell deployments, which brought additional 4G capacity to cities including Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham and Scarborough.

In Newcastle, EE has worked with the City Council to deploy over 20 small cells so far, making use of existing street furniture to boost capacity in busy locations including the city centre, Newcastle University, and in proximity to St James’ Park stadium.

Cllr Alex Hay, Newcastle City Council cabinet member for a Resilient City: “We’re really pleased to be working with EE to improve infrastructure and increase digital connectivity across the city. Matchdays see more than 50,000 people concentrated in a small area, and anyone who has attended football matches and other large events will know it can be difficult to obtain a mobile signal in those environments. By enabling the use of our assets for EE to deploy small cells, we’re boosting connectivity and giving residents and visitors alike an improved experience in our city. We’re proud of our reputation as a leading smart, modern city and are always willing to work with others to further develop local infrastructure.”

*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.

The purpose of the Emergency Alerts Service is to enable government agencies and emergency services to warn people about life-threatening situations in their local area, such as severe flooding, fires, and public health crises.  The switch-on of the service represents a landmark moment in the UK and follows the successful implementation of similar warning systems in places like Japan and New Zealand.

Customers across all mobile networks with 4G and 5G SIMs are now able to receive alerts with information and advice about how to keep them and their loved ones safe if the worst should happen.

The emergency alerts have been purposely designed to look and sound very different to other types of messages customers may receive, such as SMS text messages. When an alert is sent out, your mobile phone or tablet will vibrate and make a loud siren-like sound (even if it is set to silent) for approximately ten seconds.  In the event an emergency alert is sent out, it is important customers read the message carefully and follow the instructions.

Depending on your phone’s features, the alert will work with screen magnification and may also read the message out loud. Importantly, the unique noise emitted by the phone will also be audible for those who use a hearing aid.

Emergency alerts will only ever be issued by the government or emergency services, so if you are ever unsure if an alert is genuine, you can check by visiting gov.uk/alerts.

The system works by using mobile network infrastructure to send the same emergency message to all compatible phones in an area of risk, warning them of any danger and providing steps on how to stay safe. The service does not require your phone number, collect data, or track your location or movements. It also does not require an app to be downloaded and is completely free for everyone.

Your mobile phone or tablet does not have to be connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi to receive the alerts. However, customers currently using non-smartphone devices on legacy 2G and 3G networks – which the Government has committed to see phased out over the coming years – will not be able to receive these notifications.

To help people familiarise themselves with the new system and how it works, the Government plans to send out the first national test message using the Emergency Alerts Service on Sunday 23rd April.  To learn more, head to gov.uk/alerts.

EE customers wanting to discover more about the service, please click here.

But it's also fair to say we still have a long way to go. It's really important that we have this conversation – as women, and as men – to think about the improvements we can still make and create an environment in which everyone can thrive. We should do that for ourselves, for the teams that we lead, and for our daughters and our sons.

So, what can we change for the better?

I’m a black female in the corporate world. In my personal life, as a black person living in the UK, race is much more of an issue. But in my corporate life gender has been the bigger challenge. I truly believe that there won’t be an even playing field until there are more women in senior positions who are able to create a culture that is inclusive for everyone

It’s often the small, everyday things that constantly remind women that they have to make that extra effort to be included by the men around the table. The onus is on both men and women to make the change. Men have a responsibility to be allies, to ensure the minority woman in the room is being included and to call it out when women are not treated equally. The onus is also on other women to support each other.

We must also create greater awareness on important issues surrounding women’s health –the lack of education and understanding on these often ‘taboo’ topics is something we must all strive to change to create a safe space for men and women to have to have open and honest discussions and remove any stigma or embarrassment.

We need to create a future where we have a working environment that’s brilliant for everyone, regardless of gender. I try to be the conscience of the people around me. I don’t want to make people uncomfortable, but I will call it out – with care – when people are getting things wrong.

What does a good conversation about inequality at work look like?

It starts with awareness that there’s a problem. It then takes a willingness to listen to someone else’s lived experience with an open mind. From my experience, the best conversations have been when we all feel in a safe space, without any fear of repercussion and where there is a genuine want to make a change.

I have been very lucky in my career to work with some very supportive and inclusive men and women who I have been able to have very open conversations with when the need has arisen.

Organisations are getting much better at creating safe spaces for these conversations. At BT Group we have fantastic People Networks that give communities of people and their allies a space to share their experiences with the Exco and senior leaders in a constructive way. They are a huge driver of change in our business and are key to how we build our inclusion strategy.

This strategy has to be at the heart of how we operate every day. And, as I said at the start, International Women’s Day is a good moment to reflect on that. To that end, we’ve planned a week of brilliant conversations and workshops to help give my colleagues the skills they need to feel empowered in their own careers and have those all-important conversations that'll make a real difference.

I’ll be joined by some of our very own Consumer colleagues who’ll be sharing their personal career stories as women and allies in BT. And we have a great line-up of speakers who’ll be giving their top tips on building self-belief and resilience, overcoming imposter syndrome and addressing the workplace ‘taboos’ that many of our colleagues face. These are all such important conversations to have. 

It marks the next logical step for BT Sport as well as the broader transformation of BT's Consumer business. Once launched, it'll become a hugely exciting new premium sports offering for customers. And, as chair of our Joint Venture with Warner Bros. Discovery, I'm pleased with the progress we’re making.

I'm also really proud of our teams who have been working at pace to create a more efficient platform that'll see this new sports brand in the UK and Ireland brought to life for the first time before the start of 2023/24 football season. In just a few months, they have done an amazing job under the leadership of Andrew Georgiou (board member of the Joint Venture and President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe), responding to some really significant changes.

We've maintained what is a premium viewing experience for millions of customers, despite a period of transition after we completed the transaction to combine the assets of BT Sport and Eurosport UK last September. And we've given customers more, just like we promised, with BT Sport customers able to activate a discovery+ Entertainment & Sport subscription at no extra cost earlier this month.
 

What can our viewers expect?

Shortly before the 2023/24 football season, discovery+ will become the streaming home for sports fans who can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. BT Sport subscribers already enjoy complimentary access to discovery+ which includes Eurosport’s streaming offer and wide range of entertainment programming.

Together, this provides one of the most extensive line-ups of live sports coverage for fans in the UK and Ireland - including the Olympic Games, the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Premiership Rugby, MotoGP, UFC, Boxing, WWE, tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours and the winter sports season.

The TNT Sports name already has a strong association with premium live sport in other territories and under Warner Bros. Discovery’s family of brands. This includes being home to top-level domestic and European football in a number of countries in Latin America, while live sport has been a longtime staple on the TNT network in the U.S, including the NBA, NHL and NCAA.

Our intention with this Joint Venture was always to launch a new brand for amazing live sport and bring it together with an entertainment offering from Warner Bros. Discovery that will ultimately be great for our customers. And it’s thanks to the great content like this that we’re seeing record numbers of people watching, with pretty much all viewing figures up year on year.
 

Building for the future

From BT Group’s side, building the networks that can sustain that growth is one of the most important things that we can do. Only last Wednesday we saw a record peak for broadband traffic on our network – 29.11Tbps – driven by the streaming of two Champions League games together with Arsenal versus Man City in the Premier League and a new Call of Duty release. That’s more than 10 per cent higher than the previous peak we saw just a few months ago.

The network demand is massive. And that's why it's so important for us to keep investing in our fixed and mobile networks. We’re rolling out our full fibre network at record pace, and we’re committed to delivering 5G coverage on our EE mobile network anywhere in the UK by 2028.

In the meantime, we will continue to work on the integration of our tech platforms with Warner Bros. Discovery, ensuring a seamless experience for customers while getting ready to go big for the start of the new football season.

We are really proud of the progress we've made together, working at pace to create a more efficient platform. There are so many opportunities that this next chapter will bring for both our teams and – most importantly – our viewers on TNT Sports.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @marcallera

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.

December 2022

EE’s high-speed 4G mobile coverage is now available to customers across a new wave of London Underground stations for the first time, adding to the already-live eastern half of the Jubilee Line.

In partnership with BAI Communications, EE is delivering the UK’s best mobile network* to six new stations across the world’s oldest underground network, covering parts of both the Central and Northern lines.

This means customers can now stay in touch with friends, stream their favourite shows or catch-up on their social media feeds, completely uninterrupted. Meanwhile businesses will also benefit from expanded high-speed coverage below ground, ensuring less calls are dropped and helping give the city’s productivity a boost.

Initially coverage will be live at and between Holland Park, Notting Hill Gate and Queensway on the Central line, as well as Archway, Tufnell Park and Kentish Town on the Northern line. In the coming weeks, following further testing over the Christmas period, this will be extended to additional stations - including Camden Town, Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus in the new year.

The connectivity is achieved by taking advantage of BAI’s innovative multi-carrier network, which links the tunnels and stations of the London Underground both with each other and, crucially, with the outside world. EE’s mobile network immediately connects to BAI’s infrastructure, subsequently delivering continuous mobile coverage to customers whether they’re in the ticket hall, waiting on the platform, or travelling on a train midway between stations.

BAI’s infrastructure will also be 5G-ready, allowing for seamless ongoing upgrades in the future, and in many cases both 4G and 5G will be rolled out concurrently.

Working closely with BAI, EE intends to rollout to a host of additional stations throughout 2023 and, by the end of 2024, customers will be able to enjoy access to 4G across the entirety of the London Underground, as well as the Elizabeth line, with 5G at the vast majority of locations.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer, BT, said: “We’re delighted to be at the forefront of such a transformative project, supporting BAI in delivering what will ultimately be the largest and most advanced network of its type anywhere in the world, and one which aligns with our ongoing mission to digitise the UK through major investment in, and enhancement of, our mobile and fibre networks. It’s also yet another milestone in our ambition to deliver high-speed 4G and 5G EE mobile connectivity to as much of the UK as possible, including previously unreachable locations.”

The Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said: “Today marks a great step forward in the delivery of mobile connectivity on the Tube, as Londoners will now have increased access to high-speed mobile coverage when travelling through more Tube stations. The Mayor pledged to Londoners that he would deliver 4G throughout the Tube network as part of his commitment to building a better London for everyone - and I have no doubt that this expansion of coverage will help transform journeys for millions of passengers."

Background:

BT Group is also playing a crucial role in enabling BAI to deliver its host multi-carrier infrastructure, with BT Wholesale providing the company with premium data centre space in London, along with high-bandwidth connectivity, while using 100 per cent renewable power for all sites. All UK mobile operators are able to co-locate their equipment within these data centres, with BT Wholesale operating and managing the sites as a neutral party on behalf of EE and all other UK mobile operators.

*Rankings based on RootMetrics UK and metro RootScore® reports: From H2 2013 to H1 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.

Doing this means replacing technology that is fast becoming obsolete with a new digital service that will provide crystal-clear calls and help prevent the vast majority of scam calls.

Don’t worry: your landline isn’t going away. We’re carrying out a necessary upgrade to the technology that supports customers’ phones in their homes. One that will bring long-term benefits and a service fit for the future.

We underestimated the disruptive impact this switch would have on some of our customers. With hindsight we went too early, before many customers – particularly those who rely more heavily on landlines – understood why this change is necessary and what they needed to do. Pausing has enabled us to take time to listen to our customers’ concerns and their specific needs to make sure we have the right options and equipment available when we are ready to resume the rollout.

So, what have we been doing in the meantime?

We have appointed Lucy Baker to lead the huge body of work to move customers’ landlines onto the new digital technology and, critically, to make sure we get things right for our customers. Lucy’s experience in communication projects essential to public safety means she is the right person for the job.

Lucy was awarded an MBE for services to the NHS during the pandemic, when she led BT’s coordinated Covid-19 response. Working with healthcare providers in the NHS – from CEOs to critical care staff – Lucy supported the LifeLines project designed to connect families with their critically ill loved ones in ICUs in 150 hospitals across the country. Using the latest 5G technology, she led the development of solutions to support remote triage and diagnostics.

Drawing on her experience as Head of Customer Engagement for the Emergency Services Network, Lucy founded the Digital Voice Advisory Group. It’s an assembly of charities and representative groups brought together with the intention of better understanding how the switch will affect different customers.

This group of key stakeholders has been indispensable in helping to shape our plans for when we come to restart switching customers to digital later in 2023. Specifically, we’ve consulted them on how best to create awareness among customers so they understand why they need to switch, what they need to do, and how to speak to us if they have any concerns.

We’ve been testing this approach with customers in Salisbury and Mildenhall, who will be among the first in the UK to benefit from the changeover to digital phone lines as part of our pilot schemes. Lucy has taken her team and their information bus into town to speak directly to customers, as well as any friends and family who wanted to find out more about the switch and raise any concerns.

Taking the time to listen to our customers and having experts on hand to help has been a great success. We plan to take this approach when we are ready to restart the rollout.

This brings me to the final part of this update: I want to reassure our customers that when we do restart, likely in the spring of 2023, we will contact you ahead of time and give you the opportunity to raise any concerns with us. And we will have the key solutions in place to provide customers with confidence in their new home phone service These include:

• Hybrid phones that can switch to a mobile network and have an in-built, long-lasting battery.
• The option of longer-lasting battery back-up units for customers who want or need them.
• Providing in-home ‘mobile landlines’ for people without broadband.
• Addressing so-called mobile ‘not-spots’, with continued investment in the Shared Rural Network. In the past 12 months, we’ve improved mobile coverage in more than 500 areas across the UK. And we expect to extend coverage in a further 900 locations by 2024.
• Raising awareness so that our customers better understand the need to switch.
• Continuing to proactively engage related industries – such as healthcare pendant and burglar alarm providers to ensure our most vulnerable customers continue to get the service they need.
• We’re continuing to work on other things, too – including advancements to scam-call shielding and fraud reduction tools, which we know are becoming ever more important to our landline users.

We need to upgrade the UK’s infrastructure in so many areas. Telecommunications is one of them – and that includes the switch from analogue to digital phone lines. This, alongside the once-in-a-generation upgrade to a new Full Fibre network, will change the way we watch TV, connect our homes and businesses, and help the UK maintain its position as one of the most advanced digital economies on the planet.

And we are working hard to upgrade our customers in the smoothest, most efficient way possible.

15 December 2022, London, EE has built or upgraded over 500 4G sites across the UK since December 2021, as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) initiative to extend coverage in rural areas across the UK.

The investment constitutes the latest expansion of EE’s 4G coverage across remote parts of the UK. In total, EE has upgraded 1362 sites since the SRN deal was signed in March 2020, bringing improved connectivity to each UK nation.

EE plans to deliver around 900 more upgrades to rural areas of the UK by 2024, with each home nation receiving additional coverage.

Philip Jansen, Chief Executive of BT Group, said: “BT is committed to ensuring that even the most remote areas of the country are connected. Despite a challenging economic environment, we’re continuing to invest in rural infrastructure to achieve that. EE’s 4G has expanded by 500 square miles over the past year and we continue to be the sole provider of mobile services in many areas of the UK.”

Driving Home for Christmas

Many of the upgrades have helped improved coverage throughout the UK’s road network, a key benefit of the Shared Rural Network programme. Whether using the motorway network, or driving along key local roads, those travelling to see loved ones over Christmas will find the widest 4G coverage yet, helping to keep kids entertained with streaming movies and festive hits. Roads getting better coverage from EE under the programme include the M1, M4 and M6 in England, A487, A489 and A4212 in Wales, A838, A85 and A90 in Scotland and A1 and A24 in Northern Ireland.

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 by RootMetrics® in 2020 and being named the UK's best network every year since 2014 for the following awards: The Mobile Choice Awards, The Mobile Industry Awards and by RootMetrics®.

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:

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EE and BT Sport are teaming up to search for a duo to provide British Sign Language (BSL) commentary around a range of BT Sport programming in 2023, including the UEFA Champions League Final.

Launching today, New Signing will provide two BSL commentators or presenters with a first-of-its-kind opportunity to train up with BT Sport so that they can sign at some of the biggest BT Sport football games next season, including the FA Disability Cup 2023.

New Signing is open to anyone to apply who would like the opportunity to enhance BT Sport’s football coverage through BSL – the two people selected will have the opportunity to add their own BSL commentary to some key footballing moments on BT Sport, whilst documenting their journey across BT Sport and online next year.

Anyone interested in entering and to find out more can visit https://www.bt.com/sport/bt-sport-united/new-signing

New Signing is the latest EE initiative, as part of its long-term partnerships with each of the four Home Nations Football Associations, to support the growth of disability football on and off the pitch, ensuring the game is as inclusive as possible for fans and spectators with disabilities. This includes Para Football Adventures - a documentary series fronted by Alex Brooker and Chelcee Grimes shining a floodlight on para and disability football and meeting some of the inspirational people that make up the game. Meanwhile EE and The FA recently opened two multi-purpose sensory rooms at Wembley Stadium to better accommodate neuro-divergent guests and their families.

For BT Sport, New Signing continues its work to make its broadcasts as accessible as possible for all of its viewers. Over the past two years, BT Sport has broadcast The FA Disability Cup exclusively live with enhanced Audio Description, BSL, and, sub-titles. This season, BT Sport is also increasing the amount of subtitled sports content that it provides viewers by more than 100 hours per month, and, later this season will launch a new series with BSL that focuses on the issues facing deaf and hard of hearing sports fans.

Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director, BT & EE said: “As lead partner of The FA, EE is committed to enhance access to football for everyone. Our New Signing partnership with BT Sport will not only make key BT Sport programming more accessible, but provide a unique opportunity for two BSL experts to develop their careers in sport broadcast.”

Jamie Hindhaugh, Head of BT Sport said: “BT Sport is committed to providing the best possible experience for anyone who loves watching football on TV. We are working hard to make our programming as accessible as possible and we have a range of exciting initiatives planned for the season ahead. It’s fantastic to be able to work with EE to create more BSL content for our viewers.”

England international deaf footballer Will Palmer said: “It’s massive that EE and BT Sport are providing this opportunity for BSL signers to feature so prominently in their football coverage. This will be a big step for the deaf football community and I am really excited to see the New Signing pundits in position over the coming months.

“During the making of the New Signing advert it was a great experience to meet the England senior players and to teach them some BSL words and terms. We spoke about the importance of communication and inclusion within football, and I am proud that we have been able to launch the New Signing initiative together.”

Rebecca Mansell, Chief Executive of the British Deaf Association said: “EE and BT Sport have set a brilliant example of what it means to successfully collaborate effectively with the Deaf community to produce an outstanding and inclusive campaign. Ever since the British Deaf Association was established in 1890, it has been our mission to ensure a world in which the language, culture, community, diversity and heritage of Deaf people in the UK is respected and fully protected.

“Earlier this year, our decades of campaigning paid off when Parliament passed the BSL Act 2022, giving legal recognition to British Sign Language as a language of Great Britain for the first time. We look forward to collaborating further with EE and BT Sport to protect, preserve and promote British Sign Language for generations to come."

Amanda Casson Webb, Joint Chief Executive, Royal Association for Deaf (RAD) people, said: “RAD’s vision is a future of opportunity, achievement and equality for deaf people. We are passionate about collaborating with organisations that share our aspiration - and are proud to have partnered BT Sport on ‘New Signing’, a project that we welcome as a real step-change for the Deaf Community. We look forward to seeing more deaf talent and BSL commentary on mainstream TV.”

Teri Devine, Associate Director for Inclusion at RNID, said: “We applaud BT Sport and EE for their ‘New Signing’ initiative. British Sign Language (BSL) is the first language of 87,000 Deaf people in the UK and they have a right to enjoy football games as much as anyone. Representation matters, and we are thrilled that this opportunity will lead to thousands of Deaf football fans being able to watch and engage with the ‘beautiful game’.  For support or information, please visit RNID.org.uk.”

ENDS

About BT Sport

Launched in 2013, BT Sport broadcasts in the UK and Republic of Ireland. BT Sport offers five linear TV channels BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, BT Sport 3, BT Sport ESPN, BT Sport Ultimate, six interactive BT Sport Extra channels and is available on BT TV, Sky, Virgin Media and Talk Talk. BT Sport is also available online and via the App on mobile and large screen devices and operates pay per view channel, BT Sport Box Office.

BT Sport has a track record of innovation, operating from one of industry’s most sophisticated sports TV studios, and delivering world-firsts around Virtual Reality, Dolby Atmos, 4K UHD and remote production. Its achievements have been recognized with awards from IBC, Promax, Music Week and more.

As well as the sole UK rights holder for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, BT Sport offers live sport programming including the Premier League, boxing, UFC, WWE, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup and MotoGP.

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 by RootMetrics® in 2020 and 2021, and the UK's best network every year since 2014 for the following awards: The Mobile Choice Awards, The Mobile Industry Awards and by RootMetrics®.

As well as delivering mobile services to consumers, small and medium businesses, corporate customers and Government programmes, 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.

• New research from BT reveals that 71% of older people say sharing videos and pictures with family helps tackle isolation but only 17% actually do this regularly
• Research comes as BT customer service advisor Ricky teams up with football legend Sir Geoff Hurst to make lifelong fan’s dream come true whilst teaching him a  new digital skill
• BT has pledged to equip 25 million people with new digital skills by 2026, including the older generation

Monday 26th September 2022 New research from BT reveals more than nearly half¹ of over 70s don’t feel fully confident using their mobile phones beyond simple calls. Despite this, almost three quarters believe phones improve connections with their family and friends

The research also shows nearly three quarters of older people using their mobile device to connect with important services like doctors say it has improved their independence. Lifelong learning is key as 80% of over-65s want to be even more proficient when it comes to the digital world and 60% want to learn a new skill, according to the research.

To help improve digital skills for older people BT has teamed up with football legend Sir Geoff Hurst and building on the connections made through its Care Home Companions scheme. Born out of a project set-up by a group of BT employees in 2020 to help tackle loneliness in the UK, Care Home Companions sees customer service advisors using their personal  and local communication skills to chat with residents who might not have anyone else to talk to on a regular basis.

Care Home resident Bill suffered isolation and loneliness during lockdown and was paired with Ricky through the scheme. With the help of Sir Geoff, Ricky has made Bill’s, a lifelong football fan’s dream come true, by recreating the most famous goal in England’s history whilst teaching him a digital skill.

Sir Geoff, 80, helped footie fan Bill Oliphant, 72, commentate his hat-trick goal from the 1966 World Cup Final, with the famous line “They think it’s all over… it is now”. Ricky and Sir Geoff guided Bill to share the moment through a video call with friends at his care home.

Ricky and Bill first struck up a friendship in 2020 and continued having weekly phone calls ever since. The pair forged a bond over their love of football and Bill’s passion for commentating.

BT and EE contact centre teams take great pride in their unique role of connecting people. The employee-led initiative, Care Home Companions gives back to local communities and continues to support the most vulnerable.

BT’s digital skills programme teaches vital digital skills, so everyone can benefit from staying connected, such as making video calls and sending texts. BT have committed to reach 25 million people with help to make the most of life in the digital world by 2026 and have so far upskilled 14.7 million people.

Sir Geoff Hurst said: “What BT are doing to get older people to connect with technology is fantastic.

“At my age, I meet a lot of people who are on their own and suffer with loneliness. I am fortunate that I’m in regular contact with my immediate family including a WhatsApp group called ‘Family Bants’.

“But there are people such as Bill who have very little family around them or at all so it’s a great thing to connect them - through technology - so they can speak to their mates or people they have lost contact with years ago.”

Bill, from Ashington, Northumberland, said: “Meeting Sir Geoff was a dream come true - I’m a huge football fan and being able to commentate ‘that’ moment was incredible. Even more so because we were able to share it with my friend too.

“I don’t get many visitors at the home anyway and when Covid hit, the number dropped to almost none.

“I did feel really lonely and one of the few people I spoke to regularly was Ricky - we bonded over our love of football - and he’s really given me the confidence to try out new technology that makes things easier for me.

“I’m not very good on electronics so I’m very grateful to Ricky for teaching me, every bit of advice I get is really appreciated.”

Ricky, Customer Care Advisor at BT said: “This scheme really resonated with me because my Nana and Grandad live in a rural area and don't have people around them. Luckily, just before COVID I taught them how to make video calls, and upgraded my Grandad to a smartphone and taught him how to use it.

“But I’ve seen first-hand what difference that makes to them just to see each other face-to-face. So, I thought it would be nice to do that with someone else as well.  

"When I was introduced to Bill, we quickly bonded over Newcastle United, and I learnt that he's a huge supporter. Bill told me all about when he was younger, that he used to go to all the games - he still commentates over old football games with me. And he is actually a really good commentator, and it's great to listen to.”

Tania Caporaso, BT’s Director of Customer Care, said: “Personal connections are at the heart of everything we do, whether that’s helping families and friends stay in touch by phone, emails, texts or the small interactions our advisors make with customers everyday as we help solve their issues.

“So, when our customer service advisors suggested using their professional skills and to volunteer to help lonely care home residents back in 2020 – I couldn’t think of a better way to help older people in our local communities.

“This wonderful moment between Ricky and Bill shows what a big impact a weekly call can have and seeing them meet for the first time shows the power of that connection. Starting with a simple phone call Ricky is now helping Bill to learn new digital skills to stay connected in different ways.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

*Survey of 2,001 UK consumers aged 50 and above carried out in March and April 2022 by Sapio Research, on behalf of EE.

About Care Home Companions

In line with BT’s mission to Connect for Good, Care Home Companions was born out of an existing project set-up by a group of BT employees in 2020 to help tackle loneliness in the UK. BT, EE and Plusnet contact centre colleagues volunteer to regularly chat with care home residents to keep them company - volunteers work with the care home managers to find a companion with similar interests and find a suitable time to help get the budding friendships off to the best start.

The scheme’s launch was hugely successful, with around 140 volunteers making over 1600 calls to care homes in the North East during 2020, so in 2021 it was expanded to over 300 care homes nationwide with their partner HC-One.

BT colleagues use their personable and local communication skills they’ve learnt as customer service advisors to chat with residents who might not have anyone else to talk to on a regular basis.

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 by RootMetrics® in 2020 and 2021, and the UK’s best network by RootMetrics® every year since 2014, as well as being named Network of the Year at the 2022 Mobile Industry Awards.

As well as delivering mobile services to consumers, small and medium businesses, corporate customers and Government programmes, 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.

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¹ 41% of over 70s asked in Survey of 2,001 UK consumers aged 50 and above carried out in March and April 2022 by Sapio Research, on behalf of EE.

LONDON, 1 September 2022: Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Group have today completed their transaction to form a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) that combines the assets of BT Sport and Eurosport UK. 

The move brings together one of the most extensive line-ups of live sport coverage for fans in the UK & Ireland - including the Olympic Games, the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the Premier League, Premiership Rugby, MotoGP, UFC, Boxing, WWE, tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours and the winter sports World Cup season.

As work begins to develop the new sports offering for the UK & Ireland, BT Sport and Eurosport UK will retain their separate product propositions for a period of time. BT Sport and Eurosport UK customers can continue to enjoy the current sport offerings in all the same ways they do currently.  

Over time, the intention is to launch a new sports brand in the market and present this combined sports offering together with an entertainment offering from Warner Bros. Discovery.  

Marc Allera, Chairman of the JV and CEO BT’s Consumer division said: “As we enter our ninth season, today is day one of an exciting new chapter for BT Sport.  I am extremely proud of the teams and the established brand and broadcaster that BT Sport has become, and I look forward to working with Warner Bros. Discovery to create an exciting new sport TV offering for the UK.” 

Andrew Georgiou, board member of the JV and President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Today marks the start of our journey to build a new sports destination for fans in the U.K and Ireland. Combining BT Sport and Eurosport U.K. together with Warner Bros. Discovery’s world-class and growing entertainment offering will result in an exciting new proposition for consumers. 

“It’s important for fans to know they can continue to enjoy BT Sport and Eurosport U.K. as they do today and we’ll keep them updated on future plans as soon as we can. We are pleased the transaction has closed and we can now further engage all stakeholders in the process of establishing the JV and developing its extensive combined sports offer.”

The JV’s Board of Directors is equally represented between appointees of British Telecommunications plc and Warner Bros. Discovery. The first Chairperson, nominated by each shareholder on a rotating basis, is Marc Allera, CEO BT’s Consumer division. Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, is also a member of the board and will lead the business.

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About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, TLC, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com

About Warner Bros. Discovery Sports

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe represents WBD’s portfolio of sports brands, channels and platforms in Europe. It collectively reaches 130 million people every month, engaging fans and broad audiences in more than 200 markets and in over 20 languages across all platforms where consumers are spending time -free-to-air TV, pay-TV, streaming, online and social. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe includes the much-loved consumer brands Eurosport, Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), Golf Digest and GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR, as well sports programming and content on discovery+ and Discovery’s free-to-air TV networks. They connect audiences with the greatest sporting events in the world. This includes being the Home of the Olympics Games in Europe; tennis’ Grand Slams; cycling’s Grand Tours, more than 600 cycling broadcasts per year and the UCI Track Champions League; the PGA TOUR year-round; the best new and existing electric racing series with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and FIA eTouring Car World Cup; and every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe completes a full 360° offer with its events management and promotion arm, Discovery Sports Events.

• New and existing BT TV Box Pro customers will be able to access BT TV aerial-free from 26th August 2022
• Through the BT TV Box Pro’s new internet mode, customers simply plug in and connect to BT’s Smart Hub via Wi-Fi to start streaming

BT today announced that new and existing BT TV Box Pro customers can now access great TV shows, browse channels and apps all in one place, without the need for an aerial.

BT TV Box Pro is BT’s latest set-top box, designed to allow customers to make the most from the great range of TV packages on BT TV, which offer access to the UK’s widest choice of the very best TV shows, films, and sport. When a customer sets up their BT TV Box Pro for the first time, they’ll be given the simple option in the set-up journey to either connect via internet mode or aerial mode. Alternatively, if already an existing BT TV Box Pro customer, then there is no need for them to change, however they will still receive an automatic software update allowing them to reset their connectivity settings if required in the future.

In addition to the all-new internet mode, BT TV Box Pro provides BT TV customers with:

• 4K HDR - up to four times the detail of HD offering vivid, pin-sharp detail
• Dolby Atmos - offering the best immersive audio experience
• 1TB of storage - double the capacity of the previous BT TV box, with up to 600 hours of recordings
• 4 Tuners - allowing customers to record up to 3 shows and watch a 4th simultaneously Aerial mode: record up to 4 channels at once alternatively in internet mode: record up to 2 channels at once
• Bluetooth remote - offering a quicker, smoother experience and allows the box to be stored out of sight, if needed
• Integrated search - helping streamline viewing and removing the need to remember which show is on which platform
• Offers pause, rewind, and record functionality – making sure customers never miss their favourite shows

Sharon Meadows, Propositions Director, BT said: “We continue to look for ways to enhance the TV experience for our customers. Removing the need for an aerial connection not only gives even more consumers the opportunity to take out BT TV, it also gives our customers even more flexibility with their TV set-up, allowing them to access great content, from anywhere in the home.”

BT is also introducing the BT TV Box Mini, a new multiroom compact TV box, which lets customers watch TV in an extra room of the house, meaning BT TV customers can watch different shows, in a different room, at the very same time. The BT TV Box Mini works just like the BT TV Box Pro, connecting to the Smart Hub via Wi-Fi, so customers can watch their favourite channels without the need for an aerial. BT TV Box Mini is available for existing BT TV Box Pro customers for an additional £10 per month.

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

Like me, it will be something every parent and guardian has pondered. A phone can open up a new world of exciting possibilities, but it also exposes children to dangers many of us never had to face as a child.

As a father of three, I know sometimes it's not easy getting your children to listen to the potential dangers of an exciting new device. So I'm really proud to say at EE, we’re teaming up with Beano to help parents and guardians learn how to support and educate their children on responsible phone use and show how our PhoneSmart Licence helps Dennis and Minnie stay safe online.

EE's PhoneSmart Licence is a free course that teaches children and parents how to be kind and safe when they’re using the internet. It's available to anyone on any network – not just EE customers – and is designed to prepare children for the big wide world that a connected device can open up for them by giving them the tools to stay safe and be kind online. It is also designed to give parents and guardians the confidence to prepare their child with the digital skills they need for a brighter future.

The Beano comic strip, which has been specially created in partnership with EE, stars Mr and Mrs Menace and their son Dennis, and brings to life the potential perils of the online world. The comic has been created to provide parents and guardians with actionable tips they can follow to keep their kids safe and help them be kind to others when they’re online.

It tells the story of Dennis picking up his first mobile phone at an EE store  before getting into some characteristic scrapes by making prank calls, uploading a video of his cousin Minnie without her consent and downloading age-inappropriate apps. All of which can happen without the correct guidance. As well as comic japes, the Beano content also provides parents with useful tips and advice to help parents support their children to be a responsible online citizen and to use their phone safely.

As the UK’s best network, we have a responsibility to be there for our customers – and not just in the digital space. I’m so proud of the way our retail colleagues help customers every day in our stores in our communities up and down the UK, treating people like they would want to be treated. So it’s really exciting to see those worlds come together, with Michelle Ager, from our Chelmsford store, immortalised in the Beano comic. Here she is in real life!

Michelle’s appearance in Beanotown coincides Michelle’s appearance in Beanotown coincides with Dennis and Minnie getting their first phones. They (eventually) take her advice and get their EE PhoneSmart Licence, which means they can help keep each other safe with tools including turning off their geolocation (because you should never share your location with strangers), age appropriate web filters, muting, blocking and reporting online hate, and more.

Our EE PhoneSmart Licence takes approximately one hour to complete and features a range of engaging storylines and interactive quizzes and activities. It highlights the benefits and dangers of tech use and provides a platform for children to understand how to report instances of online abuse, hate, discrimination and cyberbullying. We created PhoneSmart in collaboration with experts from Internet Matters, and in consultation with Home-Start, ChildNet, Marie Collins Foundation and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

EE teaming up with Beano comes hot on the heels of EE’s Hope United campaign that ran alongside this summer’s UEFA Women's European Championships and brought together a team of elite footballers united to tackle online sexist hate with a series of digital skills.

It’s so important that we play our part in helping educate young people. That’s why EE will continue to help shape a safer online world, giving others the confidence and knowhow they need for a brighter future.

Search EE PhoneSmart to access the free online course and visit ee.co.uk/beano to watch the animated Beano comic .

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @marcallera

New research commissioned by EE has found that 52% of parents admit that they would not be able to survive the online world if they were a child today. 

Additionally, 60% of parents fear that even their kids know very little about how to protect themselves when using their phones. While 74% of mums and dads have tried to educate their children, a concerning 55% admit that if their child saw something unsuitable online they wouldn’t know how to stop them seeing it again.

What’s more, parents’ fears aren’t only focused on exposure to unsuitable content, but also on their kids’ own behaviour, too - 35% of parents think their kids are always truthful about their identity or age online, with 10% going further and saying they think their kids are usually untruthful about their age.  Furthermore 24% of parents are more worried about their child’s activity online than offline. The data even showed that 20% fear that their child could be guilty of sending unkind messages themselves although 57% admitted ignorance is bliss as they don’t look at their kids’ phones for fear of what they’ll find. 

With a growing concern around the impact of phone use and 24% of parents worrying that phones actually make their child unhappy, 66% are calling for online platforms to do more to protect children. To address this, EE have created the PhoneSmart Licence - an online course educating children from all mobile network providers on how to stay safe and be kind online. It was created in partnership with experts from Internet Matters to give parents that additional peace of mind as their children enter the online world.

To help parents learn how to support and educate their children on safe phone usage, EE has launched a specially created Beano comic strip starring iconic characters Mrs Menace and Dennis showcasing the potential perils of the online world, and providing parents with actionable tips to ensure their kids stay safe and are kind online. 

The comic strip shows Dennis picking up his first phone at an EE store before getting into some characteristic scrapes by making prank calls, uploading a video of his cousin Minnie without her consent and downloading age inappropriate apps - all of which can occur without the correct guidance. 

As well as the comic strip japes, the Beano content also provides parents with useful tips and advice to help parents support their children to be a responsible online citizen and to use their phone safely. 

Mat Sears, Director of Corporate Affairs, Consumer Division, said: “As a lifelong Beano fan it’s a real joy to see characters I’ve loved grapple with the same challenges every parent faces when their kids explore the online world. From learning who to trust online, through to which apps and games are safer to use - our comic strips provide parents and kids alike a fun and engaging way to learn how to safely use their phones.”

Carolyn Bunting, CEO of Internet Matters said: “Resources such as EE’s PhoneSmart Licence are helping to address the need for educational resources for young people and their parents. Even in an environment where the internet is second nature, campaigns such as this are vital in helping to increase understanding of the risks of the digital world and how to overcome them.”

EE has shared its top tips to help children stay safe and be kind online which you can watch in the animated comic strips:

Surfing the web unsupervised

• Set up web filters so you don’t see things you shouldn’t. On an Apple device, this can be done in your screen time settings. On Android, this can be done on SafeSearch settings.
• If anyone is mean to you, you can mute, block and report them and tell a responsible adult. Your phone can tell where you are, but that means other people on the web may be able to find out too. You should never share your location with strangers – you can turn off your geolocation in settings. 

Downloading apps and games

• Apps have a minimum age limit, while games have a PEGI rating so you can see if it’s appropriate for you. The age rating can be found listed where you downloaded the app, and a game’s PEGI rating can be found on the PEGI website www.pegi.info. 
• It’s easy to lose track of time, so set reminders to take a break using your phone’s timer.
• Give your eyes and brain a rest. You can see how long you’ve spent on an app in your screen time settings. 
• Go to settings and turn off notifications when it’s time to get some sleep. 

To find out more about the EE and Beano campaign and see the comic strip, visit ee.co.uk/beano 

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