13 October 2026, London: BT today announced it is deepening its partnership with Microsoft to help UK organisations strengthen their cyber defences against increasingly complex AI-powered threats. The expanded collaboration brings together Microsoft security technology with BT’s scale, security operations and network insight to deliver more pre-emptive, predictive cyber defence for public and private sector organisations in a simple to manage package.

AI is rapidly increasing the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber-attacks. The Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2026 outlines how AI is changing the physics of cybersecurity and compressing attack timelines, with the average time from discovery to weaponisation of security vulnerabilities having now fallen to well below 24 hours¹.

To help UK organisations respond, BT is launching Security Operations Centre-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) for Microsoft Sentinel, a UK-managed service that combines Sentinel with BT’s advanced security operations expertise, threat intelligence and experience. The launch reflects the deepening strategic relationship between BT and Microsoft across AI, security and cloud services, and builds on BT’s experience as an established managed security provider for Microsoft Sentinel.

The service is supported by BT’s expertise as one of the UK’s most trusted cyber defenders, with the company blocking around four million attempted cyber-attacks every day and protecting more businesses than any other network. Unlike other providers, BT combines Sentinel, managed operations, threat intelligence and UK cyber expertise in one service — helping customers cut complexity, control costs and improve detection, response and resilience.

Jon James, CEO, BT Business, said: “AI is transforming the cyber threat landscape at unprecedented speed, and our customers need protection that stays one step ahead. By extending our partnership with Microsoft, we’re combining cutting-edge security technology with BT’s cyber expertise and threat intelligence to deliver stronger, more proactive protection. It’s the latest example of how we’re helping organisations build resilience and defend against the next generation of AI-powered threats.”

Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland, said: “AI is increasing the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber threats. By combining Microsoft Sentinel with BT’s managed security expertise and UK cyber operations, we can help organisations simplify security, strengthen resilience and respond with greater confidence.”

BT SOCaaS for Microsoft Sentinel is the latest in a series of intelligence-led, AI-powered cyber solutions BT provides for UK organisations, building on the recent launch of new cyber tools and support designed to bring enterprise-grade security within reach of small businesses. By combining managed security operations, continuous threat exposure management and AI-enabled capabilities, BT helps customers tackle the emerging risks of frontier AI by reducing risk, improve visibility and strengthen resilience as cyber threats continue to rapidly evolve.

To find out more about BT Business’ next-generation SOCaaS for Microsoft Sentinel, please visit: SOCaaS For Microsoft Sentinel | Managed Security Operations

¹ Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2026 | Microsoft

London, UK, 1^st October: BT Business today launched AI from BT, a new portfolio of practical and secure solutions designed to help UK businesses adopt AI with confidence and drive UK growth. The move reflects BT's ambition to help businesses unlock the benefits of AI, while overcoming the complexity, uncertainty and security concerns that continue to hold many organisations back.

New BT research reveals that while almost two thirds of small business owners (65%) believe AI could significantly benefit their business, more than half (56%) say they are not yet realising its full potential. Many are unsure where to start, needing a trusted partner to help them adopt AI securely and use it effectively. As the UK’s largest provider of business connectivity and technology solutions, BT is uniquely placed to provide this support.

BT is launching AI Receptionist, a new, powerful tool to help businesses manage customer enquiries around the clock and ensure they never miss another call. To support small businesses with AI, BT is also launching a free AI Adoption Hub. The Hub provides practical guides, prompt packs, expert insights, and real-world examples of businesses using AI, giving businesses the confidence to unlock the value of AI and work smarter and safer.

Research reveals small businesses are struggling to keep up with customer enquiries and losing out on growth as a result - with over two thirds (67%) saying on an average day they miss at least one call that they believe results in losing business. The findings also detail the commercial opportunity for small businesses, with a predicted £3.7 billion revenue being lost annually due to not always being able to answer the phone.

Phone calls remain the number one preferred way to contact a business, but failing to answer has a major impact on purchasing decisions. 75% of potential customers will give businesses three call attempts before giving up on them, and 58% of respondents said they would go so far as telling friends and family to avoid businesses that failed to pick up.

Jon James, CEO, BT Business, said: “AI has the potential to be a huge boost to small businesses and to drive the UK’s growth, but many businesses are struggling to know how to begin and how to adopt simply and securely. That's why BT - the UK’s most trusted network for business - has created AI from BT: a portfolio of practical, secure AI solutions backed by BT's expertise and support.

AI Receptionist is the first step in the journey, helping businesses capture every opportunity, reduce admin and deliver responsive, personalised service around the clock, while keeping their customer data protected."

Michelle Ovens, CEO and Founder, Small Business Britain, said: "Small businesses can often feel they are fighting a losing battle, having to cover everything from finance and HR to marketing with limited headcount. AI can be an incredible help, and when utilised correctly, it is a cost-effective and fast way of managing the front line of customer service. We know that time-poor customers want quick resolutions, and when businesses can't provide this, revenue is lost. For small businesses, that can be the difference between being able to grow and expand, or not."

With nearly three fifths (58%) of small and medium-sized businesses spending between 30 minutes and two hours every day answering customer phone calls, and 85% saying this interrupts their ability to complete other work, AI Receptionist provides a range of services to help organisations concentrate on growing their business:

• Always-on service: Answers calls 24/7 and handles routine enquiries
• Simpler appointment management: Schedules appointments, sends confirmations and integrates with Outlook and Google Calendar
• Better follow-up: Captures and transcribes conversations and generates insights from customer interactions
• A tailored customer experience: Learns from business information and offers customisable voice and accent options

It is designed for sectors where incoming calls are an important route to bookings or new work, including:

• Trades and field-based businesses: capturing enquiries and arranging appointments while people are on-site
• Estate agents: qualifying enquiries, routing callers and helping arrange viewings
• Healthcare and professional practices: handling routine appointment requests and directing callers to the appropriate team
• Legal and financial services: capturing initial information and connecting clients to the right specialist
• Retailers: answering product, availability and promotion questions while employees support customers in-store
• Pubs, restaurants and hospitality businesses: answering booking and opening-hours enquiries while staff serve customers

BT’s AI Receptionist is available on flexible contracts and can be set up quickly through a self-service portal, enabling businesses to begin using AI with minimal technical expertise. It works across any UK fixed or mobile network, allowing businesses to keep their existing number without changing or replacing their phone system – and is built with security in mind, with customer data remaining private and not used to train AI models.

The launch will be supported by a major above-the-line advertising campaign that uses a busy pub to show how AI tools from the UK’s most trusted network for business can manage routine tasks and allow businesses to concentrate on customers. The campaign spans television, video-on-demand, radio, digital audio, podcast sponsorships, social, out-of-home and in pub activations.

For more information on AI from BT, please visit: business.bt.com/ai-for-business

ENDS

Note to Editors:

Methodology

BT Business commissioned research with Censuswide, a member of the British Polling Committee, to understand how the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses use AI and handle customer calls, alongside how consumers experience trying to reach businesses. The SME survey sampled 1,500 decision makers aged 25+ at UK SMEs (businesses with fewer than 250 employees) across all 12 UK regions, with fieldwork between 23 and 28 September 2026. The consumer survey sampled 2,000 UK adults aged 18+, nationally representative, with fieldwork between 23 and 25 September 2026.

Economic modelling to estimate revenue lost to missed calls

The estimate uses findings from the SME survey, which asked respondents how much revenue their business had lost to missed calls so far this year. Each banded answer was valued at its midpoint, “don’t know” responses were excluded. As fieldwork took place in late September, answers were treated as covering nine months and scaled up to a full year (multiplied by 12/9). Business numbers and turnover come from the Department for Business and Trade's Business Population Estimates 2025.

1–9 employees: average annual loss of £1,597 × 1,150,875 businesses = £1.84bn

10–49 employees: average annual loss of £3,753 × 220,085 businesses = £0.83bn. This equals 0.106% of the band’s total turnover (£776.2bn).

50–249 employees: 0.106% × total turnover of £948.6bn = £1.01bn. Respondents in this band reported implausibly low losses relative to turnover, so the 10–49 share of turnover was applied instead of their answers.

Total: £3.67bn a year, or approximately £71m a week. The figure is based on respondents’ own estimates and is indicative.

BT Business is enabling the next generation of policing with British Transport Police (BTP) being the first police force to routinely operate national Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones as part of day-to-day police operations.

Delivered using BT’s Drone SIM solution, and underpinned by EE’s resilient mobile connectivity at altitude, the service is enabling safer, faster responses to incidents across Britain’s rail network, and establishes a new operating model for policing.

Operating across more than 20,000 miles of railway, BTP faces the challenges of responding quickly to incidents of trespass, welfare and operational disruption, many of which occur in remote locations. In 2023/2024, more than 19,300 trespass incidents, approximately one every 30 minutes, occurred across the rail network. Traditionally, officers have often needed to travel significant distances before assessing the situation further delaying critical operational decisions.

Working together, BT and BTP have developed and launched a scalable Drone as First Responder capability that allows drones to be launched remotely from strategically located drone-in-a-box stations and piloted from BTP’s operations centre in London Bridge. BTP currently operates 7 drone-in-a-box locations across the rail network, with plans to expand with up to 14 sites over the next 2 years.

Using BT’s Drone SIM, which operates on the industry-leading EE mobile network, operators can securely maintain command-and-control connectivity and stream real-time UHD video, even beyond Wi‑Fi coverage and in complex RF environments. This supports the delivery of live aerial intelligence and faster operational decision-making.

It enables officers and rail operators to gain immediate situational awareness before personnel arrive on scene, improving decision-making, enhancing officer safety and helping reduce disruption for passengers by enabling incidents to be resolved faster.

Sian Penny, Public Safety & Justice Director at BT said: “From emergency services to national infrastructure, BT plays a vital role in keeping the UK connected and protected. We’ve built on that experience in our work with the British Transport Police, unlocking practical new uses for drone technology, underpinned by the secure, resilient connectivity that critical services require. Together we’re delivering clear benefits for both passengers and rail operators, by giving officers real-time intelligence, improving safety and helping the rail network respond more quickly when incidents occur.”

Simon Bachelor, Head of Drones Programme, British Transport Police said: “As the first UK police force to routinely operate BVLOS drones as part of day-to-day policing, we are transforming the way we respond to incidents across the rail network. Real-time aerial intelligence enables our teams to assess situations faster, deploy resources more effectively and improve safety for both officers and the public. This collaboration with BT demonstrates how innovation can support more efficient policing while helping to minimise disruption for passengers and rail operators”

BT is at the forefront of enabling advanced drone operations in the UK, providing innovative new solutions and the secure, resilient connectivity needed for mission-critical deployments. As drones become an increasingly important tool for transport, law enforcement and public safety organisations, BT is working with a range of organisations to turn emerging technology into real-world operational benefits - improving safety, efficiency and resilience.

Source: Network Rail operational trespass incident records and delay attribution data 2023/24.