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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes for editors:

Photo credit: Brian Morrison

The trial was enabled by BT’s Division X

These are just a few examples of the brilliant work being delivered across BT Group, and much of this is underpinned by our engineers in Networks. Their passion, ingenuity and technical expertise drives many of the solutions and services for which we are known today.

Harnessing and sharing that immense amount of knowledge, skills and expertise has long been an objective of mine, and is why, in part, we set up the BT Tech Fellowship programme two years ago. I’m delighted to see how this has very quickly become a thriving, self-sustaining community within BT Networks.

Today, we’re launching a little more formally to the outside world, and the main reason for that is because we’ve recognised our first Fellows – the highest level of achievement within the Fellowship, and a major accomplishment for my four colleagues.

But first, a bit about our Tech Fellowship. It’s a fantastic career development programme led by engineers, for engineers – recognising and inspiring technical talent, providing support and opportunities for skills development, and fostering a community of knowledge sharing by bringing together the full breadth of technical expertise from across BT Group’s Networks unit.

It’s a win for colleagues, for BT Group and for society. For colleagues, they have the opportunity to develop as technical specialists, keep their finger on the pulse of the latest technology, and establish themselves as an expert who’ll make an impact in an ever-changing industry. For the company, in addition to the fantastic benefits of having a talented and diverse community, the programme enables technical experts to be brought together into ‘squads’ to work on technologies in areas such as AI, Security, Energy in Networks, IoT and Cloud Scaling, bringing together new insights, expertise and ways of thinking. This true innovation that comes from bringing together brilliant people converts not only into products and services for our customers but also, innovations that can transform society.

There are four levels of involvement in the Tech Fellowship programme: Member, Accomplished Engineer, Distinguished Engineer, and Fellow. In the community we already have over 1700 members, with 133 of those recognised as Accomplished Engineers and 35 recognised as Distinguished Engineers. And today, I congratulate our first Fellows – these exceptional colleagues have been awarded the Fellows status in recognition of their contributions to engineering or for their outstanding technical achievements and leadership, and as thought leaders/experts in their given field.

I look forward to seeing this community grow and prosper. The diversity of thought, coupled with technical knowledge and skills that is enabled by the Tech Fellowship programme will be a key element in enabling BT Group to continue to be a great place to work as well as a company that is at the forefront of technology innovation for our customers and society.

The first seven of BT’s Street Hub 2.0 units have been installed in the city bringing free ultra-fast WiFi, free calls, wayfinding information and rapid device charging.

Street Hubs offer a range of benefits including free ultra-fast WiFI, free emergency calls and rapid device charging, and offer a more modern alternative to traditional payphones.

They also provide directions for tourists and have the capacity to be fitted with signal boosting 4G and 5G cells.

The first Street Hubs were switched on today at the sites including streets in Byker, Benton, Heaton and Haymarket. They form part of BT’s rollout of even better mobile and WiFi connections for communities across the UK.

As part of the initiative, BT will also be gifting free advertising to small businesses as they face increased costs during the current economic situation.

The company is donating up to £7.5 million of outdoor advertising space to small businesses across the UK as part of the rollout of the new digital units.

Michael Smy, Head of Street at BT, said: “Street Hubs provide communities with the improved WiFi and mobile connectivity that is now such a central part of everyday life.

“Bringing the Hubs to Newcastle not only allows us to provide the same benefits as traditional payphones, but also offer enhanced and future-proofed technology for the future.

“Gifting free advertising to small businesses in the city also means we are able to play our part in supporting its economy.”

One of the first businesses in the city to benefit from the free advertising space will be Bud Couriers, based in the city. The organisation won a competition to land the free advertising as part of the introduction of hubs in the city.

James Tyer of Bud Couriers said: "The BT Street Hubs have been a blessing for my small business. This month, with the introduction of the clean air zone in Newcastle city centre, these adverts are positioned perfectly to reach those affected by the issue.

“Using these boards, we are able to showcase our role as an authority in Newcastle’s urban sustainable logistics."

BT is rolling out the Street Hub units across a range of major cities in the UK with Sheffield joining places like Birmingham, Nottingham, and Glasgow.

Nearly three quarters of NHS staff believe technology could help transform patient care in England, with more than 80% claiming it could attract more ’digital natives’ into the workforce, according to a new study by BT.

The research, which polled respondents at 136 different NHS and integrated care organisations within the NHS, indicates that NHS staff view technology as a key aspect of healthcare, but the intended benefits are not always felt where they are most needed.

BT is committed to working together with the NHS to build smarter, safer, more efficient services for everyone. It says the study proves the need for new technology but also notes the challenges reported by NHS staff on how health services are adopting this tech on the frontline. 77% of respondents cited lack of funding as a major hurdle, while a lack of existing skills and resources (75%) and areas with no connectivity (58%) are also issues.

The research suggests that greater communication around technology adoption will help overcome these barriers, with half agreeing that regular feedback sessions (50%), evidence of benefits (51%) and having a clear roadmap (55%) will improve technology adoption and enhance their own role. There are also strong calls for more co-creation during the development of solutions. 79% cite the benefits of PPI groups (patient, public involvement) as part of any technology design or deployment project within the NHS.

Staff are the enablers, and tech can help boost recruitment

The study shows that healthcare professionals view technology as having an important role to play in addressing one of the biggest issues facing the NHS today: staff shortages. 74% want their organisation to invest more in new technological solutions and software to help attract new staff, and 83% think it can help to attract a younger workforce from digitally native generations.

Despite recognising the benefits digital technology can bring for healthcare services, the study also shines a light on some of the challenges to progress. The current standard of technology remains a source of stress for nearly half (49%) of NHS staff. They are under considerable pressure, and staffing levels and burnout (42%) are seen as the biggest barriers (outside of funding) to digital transformation. This is followed by cultural resistance to change (37%) and workforce availability and capability (37%). 75% feel that team capacity (e.g. lack of relevant skills and / or resources) is slowing innovation.

Evolving infrastructure through collaboration

While healthcare professionals say the approach to technology adoption needs to evolve, so too does the infrastructure required to support the latest innovation. However, fully connected, interoperable systems, which enable staff to seamlessly connect to apps and solutions are seemingly a little way off.

Nearly all respondents (98%) agree that network, Wi-Fi infrastructure and mobile technology are critical to future innovations in the delivery of healthcare, but 58% suffer from building not-spots (areas that receive little or no connectivity) and 51% have to switch between devices to carry out tasks. Consequently, 59% cite difficulties implementing new technology with existing systems and almost one in four (24%) have reverted to older processes due to connectivity issues.

Professor Sultan Mahmud, BT’s Director of Healthcare, said: “It’s clear from this research that NHS staff have a real belief in technology and its potential for delivering greater healthcare for everyone. However, it’s also clear that we need to work together to evolve the approach to adoption and infrastructure. This is about making sure technology is a driver: easing staff stresses, supporting recruitment, unlocking digital transformation, and delivering better patient outcomes. The NHS needs partners that will stand alongside it shoulder-to-shoulder, and BT is proud to be on that journey.”

To support NHS Trusts with this ongoing challenge, BT has launched its Vanguard Programme. The ‘clinically led, digitally enabled’ programme sees BT partner with NHS Trusts to co-create technology that is specifically developed for the challenges healthcare providers face. The programme focuses on the needs of patients, clinical staff, administrators, or the many others who are critical to delivering care.

Dr Tim Ringrose, President, Digital Health, Royal Society of Medicine, added: “The NHS finds itself under immense pressure and it needs partners that are able to really listen and co-create solutions that have a positive impact on workloads and patient experience. We can all see the potential technology can have, but right now it’s not always deployed in the right ways. Our mission is to share healthcare learning and support innovation, and the future of our healthcare system is dependent on working with partners that have similar commitments.”.

Further data and analysis can be found in BT’s new 2023 report, ‘Mind the Gap! Delivering digitally enabled change to the NHS’.

Methodology  

BT’s Healthcare team commissioned an independent survey of 197 staff at 136 different NHS and Integrated Care System organisations within the NHS. The survey was carried out online between the 8th - 30th November 2022.

January 2023: BT Group and Stratospheric Platforms Ltd (SPL) today announced they will test delivering mobile coverage using an innovative new antenna technology, designed to be mounted on a High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) aircraft. The trials, being conducted at BT’s global R&D headquarters at Adastral Park, aim to provide a solution to one of the final challenges of mobile connectivity – getting coverage to the hardest to reach areas.

The project, which has received funding from Innovate UK, could offer transformational opportunities for sectors operating in remote areas such as transport, maritime security and search and rescue and could provide faster and more seamless connectivity direct to consumers mobile devices in remote areas.

In addition to extending the reach of existing UK network infrastructure, the HAPS solution could provide a fallback for terrestrial networks in the event of a disaster, supporting humanitarian aid or disaster relief. Furthermore, it has potential applications for remote monitoring across various industrial and agricultural use cases, improving efficiency of operation.

SPL’s antenna technology can provide uninterrupted 4G and 5G connectivity direct to consumer smart phones. The phased array antenna is capable of delivering faster speeds, in some cases up to 150Mbps across areas as wide as 140km or 15,000 square km (an area equivalent to the average footprint of 450 terrestrial masts), through 500 individually steerable beams.

In addition to the high performance, wide area connectivity, the HAPS solution is expected to provide significant cost and energy savings. The phased array antenna and the flight platform powered by hydrogen, provides sustainable 4G and 5G connectivity to large areas from the skies, removing the need for extending expensive terrestrial infrastructure in remote areas.

The first step in BT and SPL’s journey to the skies, is the development of a secure 5G HAPS communications demonstration system. SPL’s phased array antenna will be placed on a high building (simulating a high-altitude platform), to test its interaction with BT’s 5G secure architecture, connecting with its Open RAN testbed. This test will include supporting multiple user groups and different potential use cases, concurrently on the same network.

Tim Whitley, Managing Director Research and Network Strategy, BT Group said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with SPL to start realising the huge potential of HAPS aircraft to further strengthen our UK 4G and 5G network technology leadership. This highly innovative and transformative project has the potential to further enhance our UK 4G and 5G footprint, which is already the largest and most reliable in the UK, to connect unserved rural areas and enable exciting new use cases for private users.

Richard Deakin, CEO, SPL commented: “The SPL team is excited to be working with BT Group to further advance its breakthrough UK-developed technology.  This partnership will build further on SPL’s world-first 5G demonstration from the stratosphere achieved in 2022. With BT, we’re pleased to continue our journey supporting the UK to become a science super-power.”

Ends

About Stratospheric Platforms Ltd

Stratospheric Platforms Limited is a leader in High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS). The company will provide ubiquitous, high bandwidth, low latency connectivity at a fraction of the cost of traditional terrestrial solutions. The technology provides a 100% sustainable hydrogen-powered green energy telecoms solution. The business was founded in Cambridge (UK) in 2014 and is backed by Europe’s largest operator Deutsche Telekom.  

For more information, visit www.stratosphericplatforms.com

Street Hubs offer a range of benefits including free ultra-fast WiFI, free emergency calls and rapid device charging.

They also provide wayfinding information for tourists and have the capacity to be fitted with signal boosting 4G and 5G cells.

The first Street Hubs were switched on  today at the sites in Arundel Gate, Brook Hill, Wicker and Bradfield Road, and form part of BT’s rollout of even better mobile and WiFi connections for communities across the UK.

As part of the initiative, BT will also be gifting free advertising to small businesses as they face increased costs during the current economic situation.

The company is donating up to £7.5 million of outdoor advertising space to small businesses across the UK as part of the rollout of the new digital units.

Michael Smy, Head of Street at BT, said: “Street Hubs bring improved and enhanced digital infrastructure and ensure that we are providing communities with the facilities that are fit for the future.

“As one of the biggest cities in the UK, Sheffield is the ideal location for these units which will benefit those living, working and visiting the city. 

“Gifting free advertising to small businesses in the area also means we are able to play our part in supporting the city’s economy.”

One of the first businesses in the city to benefit from the free advertising space will be Harrison Cameras, based in London Road. The organisation won a competition to land the free advertising space which will be on display on hubs across the city.

Darren O’Brien of Harrison Cameras said: "We are a photographic retailer and our store has been a fixture on London Road for 50 years.

“We have become an important part of the community over that time and through support, sponsorships and charitable endeavours we aim to give back as much as we can.

“Winning this competition will give us a wonderful opportunity to re-engage with that community and reach a new generation of customers after a difficult couple of years."

BT is rolling out the Street Hub units across a range of major cities in the UK with Sheffield joining places like Birmingham, Nottingham, and Glasgow.

Earlier this year BT Group also announced plans to open a flagship new office in the city for up to 1,000 colleagues. The organisation is expected to take up residence at the landmark Endeavour building, based at Sheffield Digital Campus, by the end of 2023.

As part of a multi-million pound partnership, BT and Atos today launch Digital Vision — a new computer vision solution that will help revolutionise industries, including manufacturing and logistics among others.

Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers and systems to interpret information from digital images, videos and other visual feeds (including live video streams from a fixed camera or a moving drone) and take automated actions or make recommendations based on the information.

It will combine BT’s leading digital connectivity with Atos’s Computer Vision Platform, a scalable end-to-end solution, providing pre-trained & customizable AI models developed by more than 300 computer vision experts in labs around the world.​

AI video and image analysis is used industry-wide in applications such as transport safety and traffic monitoring, quality control in manufacturing, and location tracking. The joint BT-Atos solution will improve security and monitoring for customers by enabling effective, real-time use of video and image data.

Digital Vision will use BT’s 5G/FTTx multi-access connectivity and edge computing. This ensures business customers receive a scalable, ready-to-deploy service with round-the-clock support and expertise.

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

Marc Overton, Managing Director for Division X, part of BT’s Enterprise unit, said: “This partnership with Atos gives us access to the Computer Vision market for the first time, providing us the opportunity to play an even bigger role in the digital transformation of businesses around the world.

“Working together, we have been able to combine our skillsets to create an innovative platform that provides a host of potential use cases for facilities such as smart ports and transport hubs, to retail and fuel forecourts, to manufacturers. Utilising cutting edge technologies such as 5G, AI and edge computing, this new platform is linked to our wide partnership with Atos and we see huge potential for growth in this space over the next few years. 

“Not only will businesses be able to better leverage their video stream data, improve their operational efficiency and enhance their monitoring, but they will also be able to mitigate risk, increase revenue through data monetisation, unlock new applications and open new channels to market.”

Jean-Claude Geha, Global Head of Telecom, Media & Technology at Atos commented: “As our clients are going through their digital transformation, they need the right and best digital services to accelerate the next step of their journey. As a global leader in digital transformation, Atos plays an essential role in co-developing innovative use cases with CSP (Communications Services Provider) for real-time businesses, thanks to its extensive knowledge of Edge and AI technologies and its deep expertise in system integration. We are excited to work, once again, with BT to unlock new capabilities for the Enterprise market where BT is seeking to offer much needed Vertical Digital use cases to increase efficiency, boost productivity, and to improve business opportunities and customer experience.”

BT and Atos have a long-standing relationship with a major outsourcing agreement signed in 2013 and extended in March 2022 until 2026. BT provides Atos with network and communication services to connect its own operations as well as network infrastructure and service to support its customers. Earlier this year, the companies expanded their relationship to co-develop solutions with a focus on sustainability that will combine BT’s capabilities in secure connectivity and infrastructure, including private 5G and edge computing, with Atos’ digital expertise in sectors such as manufacturing.

Excitement around drones has taken off as the media spotlight turned to Farnborough Air Show and the projects which have received the backing of the Government, thanks to major new funding via research agency UKRI and an ambitious vision for the UK’s future drone economy.

The project to capture headlines was undoubtedly Skyway – the world’s longest automated drone ‘superhighway’ that will connect the Midlands to the South East of England and cover a total of 165 miles.

Altitude Angel is leading the project, and BT is one of the key partners, along with several UK tech start-ups. We’re excited about Skyway’s potential because it will enable us to explore the many use cases for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) in a safe and responsible way and help us to develop the products and services that could have a transformative effect for the country.

A world where medical supplies are routinely delivered to NHS hospitals via drone, or roads and railways that can be inspected remotely without having to place people’s lives at risk, are just an example of what could be commonplace in the future thanks to this project.

Our EE mobile network, the largest and most reliable in the UK, will be the backbone for Skyway and I’m proud that we can bring expertise and knowledge from across the business to contribute to the partnership.

BT research has found that over two thirds (68%) of the British public believe drones will have a positive impact on their life in the future. But we can’t be complacent about public acceptance of drones. We want to prove that not only can we live safely alongside drones, but we also want to demonstrate the positive impact they can have on our economy – creating jobs and making businesses more efficient to relieve the pressure on escalating costs of living. 

While Skyway is the biggest project we’re involved in, it’s by no means the only one. It’s also important to reference the other partnerships that have received the Government’s backing, and where BT has a key role.

Atypical Airspace BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) Solution (AABS) is a project led by sees.ai and uses its advanced drone system to allow safe and efficient drone flight in even the most complex and space constrained areas. They will be deploying the technology for critical national infrastructure in the first instance to demonstrate its safety to regulators and the Government. 

BT’s team will support by providing mobile connectivity through our EE 4G and 5G network, enabling a data feed to go from the local environment through to the sees.ai control room. During the project we will also explore how satellite backhaul could be used to provide further resiliency for sees.ai. 

The AABS project will help us understand more around the requirements organisations have for providing high bandwidth, low latency data feeds over our 4G and 5G network. This will play a critical role in the drones use case and its ability to operate safely. In the case of sees.ai’s solution, the data feed enables remote operators based in a control room to supervise drones on sites nationwide as they execute safe and efficient autonomous flight and data capture. In time this approach will enable a single remote operator to supervise multiple drones – and indeed in this project we are aiming to simultaneously fly two drones with one remote operator supervising.

Another exciting project where BT is adding expertise is InDepth where our Applied Research team based at Adastral Park in Suffolk - BT’s global R&D centre - will be working with the Association of British Ports (ABP), Kier and a number of start-ups to expand on some previous research and trials.

InDepth will involve the use of drones to carry out automatic BVLOS missions to monitor and control critical national infrastructure such as highways and ports.

For example, our Applied Research team will use technology to create a high-fidelity 3D digital twin of a port and use this to combine backend operational data with real-time data from drones to give a rich picture of current port operations. AI will be used to analyse the drone imagery in several use cases, including infrastructure inspection and management of assets, including vehicles.

These are exciting times for BT and the drone industry more widely. The government has recognised the potential of UAVs and its public backing and financial support for these projects will help us advance this technology.

However, for drones to have the kind of impact we know they can, we need the support of stakeholders across Government, devolved administrations and local government, and industry to safely modernise the UK’s legacy regulation and planning policies.  After all, the EU, India, Switzerland, and U.S. are all moving at pace to ensure drones in their countries can take to the skies quickly.  If the UK accelerates its efforts, there is still time to be a leader in the effective regulation of drones in a way that attracts more innovation, talent, and capital to our shores.

We are at the dawn of a new era. One that could help us revolutionise everything from how we receive deliveries to the advancement of smart cities, improved security, enhanced search and rescue capabilities and safer remote inspection of critical infrastructure. Drones can be the catalyst for all this and more, and BT is excited to be part of this future.

The lab is the first dedicated telecoms civil engineering robotics test facility in the UK, designed to help BT engage with the university sector and robotics startups as they develop robotic solutions to challenging civil engineering tasks. This includes addressing problems such as how to clear out blocked ducts, mend collapsed ducts and install new fibre network infrastructure without incurring the cost and delays that come with digging up roads and pavements.

New robotic locomotion and excavation techniques inspired by digging and burrowing mammals and insects, coupled with the latest technologies developed for space exploration, aerospace and medical applications are showing real promise for delivering so-called ‘trenchless’ infrastructure deployment. Magnetic, climbing and cable-traversing robotic techniques are also maturing, enabling proof-of-concept trials on wireless tower and overhead cable poles.

It is expected that the test lab will play an important role in supporting BT’s fibre programme, as well as facilitating collaboration with other utilities such as power and water companies as they roll out and update their underground and overhead networks.

The site is a unique indoor facility that will enable research teams to trial the latest innovations in robotics within a variety of test zones. The facility emulates three different types of environments in which testing can be carried out:

• Underground environment: The facility includes several test beds that can be filled with different soil and aggregate types to replicate the terrain that creates challenges for laying ducts and fibre across the country. The compaction, moisture content and stone content can all be controlled within these environments to test the ability of robots to dig pathways for ducts or direct-in-ground fibre. The test beds will also provide demanding environments for fibre sensing and robotics steering tests.

• In-duct environments: Pipe stands are used at the facility to construct duct runs, using specially manufactured transparent versions of BT ducts. This enables replication of the scenarios whereby a duct collapses or becomes blocked with silt build up.

• Overhead environments: The facility holds a full height telegraph pole, with platform access to allow different pole-top fixtures to be fitted. This creates opportunities to test robots that can lift tools, equipment or cable to the top of a pole. Cables can be run to another pole to provide a single 35m span for development of cable-car-like devices for pulling in new cables or dealing with tree canopies that could damage an existing cable. A series of shorter posts provides a ‘pole-transit’ testbed for developing other cable-travelling devices.

Professor Tim Whitley, BT’s MD of Research, said: “The UK is a hotbed of civil engineering innovation, with a thriving university ecosystem and an enviable robotics startup sector. Our aim is to bring those players together in a dedicated facility to develop solutions that make the UK a world leader in telecoms civil engineering robotics. The lab will provide a hub for the creation of solutions to real world challenges and pioneering applications of robots, reinforcing the UK’s position at the heart of research and innovation into advanced technologies.”

The DigiTech Centre will provide cutting-edge digital skills for people looking to pursue careers in information and communications technology and received the blessing of Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, when she visited Adastral Park at the beginning of the project.

Specialist high tech laboratories form the heart of the new centre and it will be used jointly by university staff, students and businesses at Adastral Park and across the region.

Professor Mohammad Dastbaz, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Suffolk said: “In a rapidly developing technological age, we want the DigiTech Centre to be a state of the art ‘solution centre’ for SMEs and other businesses as well as a research and knowledge transfer hub. The Centre will have state of the art specialist laboratories in AI, Data Science, Network Security and Cyber range and will make Suffolk a recognised destination for industry-focused ICT and Digital Creative study programmes and an internationally recognised destination for continuous professional development in digital technologies. This new initiative will play an important role in our region and nationally and we are pleased that students at the University will benefit from the partnership with BT and state-of-the-art facilities.”

Adastral Park is BT’s global Research and Development centre and has played a pivotal role in telecommunications research, such as the commercialisation of single-mode optical fibre, and the recent development of the world’s first quantum networks.

Lisa Perkins, Adastral Park and research realisation director at BT, said:  “This is a major milestone for us at Adastral Park as this new centre will help supply a rich pipeline of new technology talent, which will not only be of huge benefit to BT, but also the entire region.”

“There is also a growing demand for people with skills in new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science. The courses and scholarships offered through the University of Suffolk will mean that we will have access to students graduating with these key skills right on our doorstep.

“The DigiTech Centre builds on a legacy of innovation and development at Adastral and ensures the East of England continues to be a major technology hub.”

The DigiTech Centre has received funding from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). C-J Green, Chair of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership said: “This is a stunning facility and one which will help supply the skilled workforce demanded by our fast-growing and high-value digital tech sector. Ipswich is recognised as having a vibrant digital creative hub and students at the DigiTech Centre will have the opportunity to become part of the Adastral Park community. This investment will nurture skills, create jobs and increase growth and productivity in a sector that underpins the Norfolk & Suffolk economy.”

The DigiTech Centre has several facilities which span both the University’s Waterfront campus in Ipswich and BT’s Adastral Park. Adastral Park is home to BT’s Applied Innovation Labs and Innovation Martlesham, a cluster of over 100 high-tech digital and technology companies.

To find out more about the DigiTech Centre please visit www.uos.ac.uk/digitech

The new network, which is the world’s first commercial trial of a quantum network infrastructure, will be operated by BT, who will provide a range of quantum-secured services including dedicated high bandwidth end-to-end encrypted links, delivered over Openreach’s Optical Spectrum Access Filter Connect (OSA FC) solution for private fibre networks. The QKD links will be provided using a quantum network that includes both core and access components, and will be integrated into BT’s existing network management operations. Toshiba will provide quantum key distribution hardware and key management software.

The pace of progress in Quantum computers presents an increasing risk to standard encrypted key exchanges, authentication and digital signatures; some estimates suggest that quantum computer enabled security attacks are possible within 5 years, and likely to occur within 10 years. Securing encrypted traffic is a pressing problem today, because data which requires long term security could be at risk of ‘store today, crack later’ attacks, in which the key exchange and encrypted traffic are stored now and broken when a sufficiently powerful quantum computer is available. QKD-based security is unique because the key-exchange is secure against any computational or mathematical advance, therefore it is immune to any present or future attacks by quantum computers.

While BT and Toshiba have previously installed a point-to-point quantum-secure link between two commercial sites, deploying a full quantum-secured metro network environment with multiple endpoints requires new approaches to integration and management. Building on the BT and Toshiba point-to-point solution for the Bristol-based NCC (National Composites Centre) and Centre for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS), this new network will extend the solution to serve multiple customers across a wide metropolitan area. London is an ideal environment to deploy and trial this technology thanks to the density of customers whose data is extremely sensitive and requires utmost security, such as financial and legal institutions. The two companies’ initial focus will be to provide trials for enterprise customers who are carrying sensitive traffic (such as database backups) between sites, and to explore potential future offerings such as encrypted links and “quantum keys-as-a-service”.

Toshiba launched commercial products for QKD, manufactured at its Cambridge site, in the latter half of 2020. These offer the highest key rates (1,000’s of keys per second) and longest range of any commercially available fibre QKD system. Toshiba’s innovative multiplexing compatibility allows the data and the quantum keys to be transmitted on the same fibre, eliminating the need for costly dedicated infrastructure for key distribution. Toshiba will also supply network key delivery and management software that enables end-to-end protection of data across the network.

Howard Watson, CTO of BT, said: “BT and Toshiba have established a global lead in the development of quantum-secure networks. We’re excited to be taking this collaboration to the next level by building the world’s first commercially operational quantum-secured metro network in London. Secure, robust and trusted data transfer is increasingly crucial to our customers across the globe, so we’re proud of the role our Quantum R&D programme is playing in making the world’s networks safer as we enter the dawn of a new age of quantum computing.”

Taro Shimada, Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Toshiba Corporation, said: “Our partnership with BT will allow us to offer organisations quantum-secured network services which protect their data from retrospective attacks with a quantum computer. We are delighted to work with BT, with its long heritage of delivering secure, trusted networks. This network paves the way for commercial QKD services in the UK and eventually beyond.”

BT has led the industry in the development of QKD networks, techniques and applications. In 2017 it conducted its first field trial of QKD integrated into a secure optical communications network. Across 2018-19, it ran a second QKD trial on a live network between Cambridge and its Adastral Park R&D campus in Ipswich, at that point the longest link in the UK Quantum Network. Last year BT conducted customer trials with NCC of QKD over 10G Ethernet.

As well as collaborating with BT last year on the installation of the UK’s first industrial quantum-secured network, which transmits data between the NCC and CFMS, Toshiba has achieved numerous milestones through its extensive research into quantum technology at its Cambridge Research Laboratory. Most recently, in June 2021, the company announced the first demonstration of its long distance Twin Field QKD system over optical fibres exceeding 600 km, which was achieved through its pioneering dual band stabilisation technique. The combination of multiplexed QKD using existing infrastructure for metro networks, alongside conventional and Twin Field QKD for longer distances, paves the way for a commercially viable quantum-secure network in the UK.

AriSports has been crowned the winner of Innovate 21, BT Sport’s search for exciting new sports broadcast experiences from entrepreneurs, creatives and start-ups.

AriSports impressed the judges with its digital prediction platform, the brainchild of co-founders Rassim and Djewed Hariz. It allows football fans to predict on-pitch events, earning points in the process and competing against friends. It includes a fantasy trading element, where fans can collect and own unique digital cards of their favourite football players. The cards can increase in value, depending on the player’s real-life performances and correct predictions from the owner of the card. As the winner of Innovate 21, AriSports will now have the opportunity to work with BT Sport to develop its technology for future use.

This is the third time BT Sport has backed a search for new viewer innovations in recent years from small businesses. Since winning a 2018 BT competition, Sceenic worked with BT Sport to support last year’s launch of Watch Together service on the BT Sport App. Meanwhile, the winner of a 2016 BT competition, Seenit, enabled fans to send in video reports from stadia around the country as part of BT Sport’s Premier League Tonight show.

AriSports was one of four companies to make it to a final where it presented its innovation to a panel of experts led by Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport. Those involved in identifying both a shortlist and winner included journalist and technology expert Lucy Hedges, Matt Stagg, BT Sport director of mobile strategy, plus BT Sport presenters Brian O’Driscoll, Suzi Perry and Robbie Savage.

Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport, said: “We were extremely impressed by the quality and ingenuity of the innovations on display at the Innovate 21 final. I would like to congratulate AriSports on being crowned worthy winners. Its proposal is an ambitious platform that will offer fans an immersive experience and we look forward to working with them in helping harness its potential.”

Rassim Hariz, chairman, AriSports, said: “Special thanks to BT Sport for this great award, we look forward to working with their team. The process was very competitive and we are honoured to be the winners of Innovate 21. For us, it has been two years in the making and I would like to thank all our technical, product development and business development team. Working with BT Sport, and knowing their innovation track record, is fully aligned with our identity and ambitions in applying our world-first technology for immersive fantasy gaming on live content.”

BT has been at the heart of sports broadcasting innovation over recent years, details of which can be seen at btsport.com/innovates:

• Last season, BT Sport and EE teamed up to launched Matchday Experience on the BT Sport App, offering fans the most immersive sports viewing experience anywhere in the UK, powered by EE’s number one 5G network. Features include Watch Together - the only service in the UK allowing fans to watch, see and chat with three other friends, alongside any BT Sport broadcast, thanks to a split-screen interface.
• BT Sport was the first broadcaster to show live content in 4K and UHD in 2015 and the first to adopt Dolby Atmos in 2016. BT Sport has also embraced social media, being the first to show the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals on YouTube and showing content such as BT Sport Score live for free on Twitter and Facebook.
• In 2019, BT Sport collaborated with BT’s Media & Broadcast arm to broadcast the world’s first live 8K test broadcast, into the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam.
• In 2018 BT Sport and EE successfully carried out the world’s first live broadcast over 5G using remote production, delivering a two-way transmission from Wembley Stadium to London’s ExCeL exhibition centre.

*The QKD system was provided on loan by the EU OpenQKD project.

BT today unveils BT TV Box Pro, the TV platform’s most advanced set-top box. The sleek new box is designed to support the next generation of TV viewing, with the features including crystal clear 4K HDR viewing and Dolby Atmos offering a complete immersive experience. BT has also rolled out a new user interface to new and existing BT TV customers giving them more intuitive control.

BT’s latest set-top box has been 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 available.

BT TV Box Pro brings a new range of features to BT TV customers:

• 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 fourth simultaneously

• Bluetooth remote - offering a quicker, smoother experience and allows the box to be stored out of sight, if needed

Similar to its predecessor, BT TV Box Pro comes with integrated search - helping streamline viewing and removing the need to remember which show is on which platform. BT TV’s set-top box also offers pause, rewind and record functionality – making sure customers never miss their favourite shows.

Although available initially with a wired connection, BT TV Box Pro is Wi-Fi capable with an enabling update planned for later this year.

As well as a new set-top box, BT has also completed a roll out a new enhanced user interface. A new Homepage showcases content in a slick, image-led view while the unified search function is even easier to find. Viewers can search across all apps and live TV and easily pick up from where they left off, with a more visual My TV section, giving easy access to recordings and on-demand Watchlist where you can continue watching content.

Chandru Lakshminarayanan, TV and Sport Propositions Director, BT said, “We’ve seen a huge growth in 4K HDR content and we’re excited that the new BT TV Box Pro supports such an immersive way of viewing.

“We’ve seen such great feedback since launching our flexible TV plans and now the award-winning platform is about to enter the next generation of viewing. We’ve got lots more planned, which I can’t wait to share with our customers shortly”.

BT TV Box Pro is available initially to new customers taking a VIP package and will be added to other packages in due course. For £65 per month the VIP package includes a NOW Cinema, Entertainment, Sport Membership as well as NOW Boost. This gives BT TV customers the biggest Sky channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky One, and all Sky Cinema channels (including over 1,000 movies on demand), plus BT Sport Ultimate in up to 4K HDR as well as Eurosport.

The IP capable box is designed to support the future of all IP streaming and works with BT Smart Hubs and Complete Wi-Fi as well as the BT TV mobile app.

In the past year, the role that technology plays in people’s lives has grown at a phenomenal rate. From retail, leisure, health and community services having to close their doors and shift their operations online to the proliferation of trace-and-track apps, questions around what responsible technology looks like have become more important than ever before.

Clearly technology has been of incalculable value during the pandemic, as our dependency on tech has grown, so too have our concerns over how tech is used and the need to protect individual rights while working towards the public good. We all need to know what responsible technology looks like and how we can best serve our stakeholders. How can new technologies be designed to protect and promote individual rights while also working for public good? What oversight and governance are needed to guard against abuses?

BT’s new Responsible Tech strategy has been created to help shape our development of tech-driven solutions. It’s the embodiment of our purpose to connect for good – by empowering people and improving their lives – while making sure we are always accountable, fair and open. Our goal is simple: to be the most trusted connecter of people, devices and machines. 

Working with the cross-party think-tank and research organisation Demos, we recently conducted a national conversation about responsible technology, asking the public what they think in key areas such as surveillance, data monetisation and healthcare. 

A nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 adults took part in the survey which was conducted on Polis, an online deliberation platform that encourages people to participate in discussions, rather than simply responding. The nature of a Polis survey means those taking part can submit their own statements, taken from their lived experiences, as well as vote on a set of pre-determined statements. 

Polis also uses a technique which highlights opinions shared amongst all participants. This allows people to see areas of consensus even when some of their attitudes are very different. 

The results were fascinating. Perhaps predictably, a large group are concerned about the risks of new tech and uses of data, but there were also many areas of agreement, even with those who are nonchalant about these risks. The need for better education for children about data uses, the need for technology to be made accessible to all, and support for government oversight of how companies are using people’s data are all likely areas of agreement and provide a framework on which further debate about uses of technology can be built. 

None of the groups in the survey – the “concerned”, the “conflicted” and the “nonchalant” – were whole-heartedly supportive of technological progress without caveats and controls. Those who most strongly believe that new uses of data and tech can work for the public good still don’t believe that technology providers can be trusted to use it properly, while those who aren’t actively worried about their data still have concerns over some of the ways in which it is used. 

What became clear is that we face a crisis in trust on both sides. On the one hand people don’t trust how their data is used but on the other hand they also feel they are not being trusted to make their own decisions about how they use data. The need to build trust – and improve people’s understanding about data use and new technologies – is vital. 

So how do we go forward? With systems which are already fundamentally mistrusted, half-baked add-ons – such as cookie consent forms on websites – are merely an irritant and fail to stop widespread collection of personal data. For genuine change, we need approaches to technology and data usage that are not just imposed on people and then signed off with a mere tick.

What is needed is meaningful co-design and collaboration, with the development of new technologies and uses of data shaped by a wide range of people with different needs and experiences. Where there is significant risk to human rights, this development itself should be strictly regulated and take into account how people will actually use a system and the impact that has on their rights. 

BT’s new Responsible Tech strategy won’t just guide how we work with our customers, it will ensure that our stakeholders are directly involved. Only with this level of collaboration and transparency can we maintain the trust our customers put in us – and ensure the efficacy, legitimacy and commercial value of the new technologies we provide both now and in the future. 

Read more about BT’s Responsible Tech strategy and principles in our latest Digital Impact & Sustainability Report: Our reports and policies - Digital impact & sustainability | BT Plc

Lauren Kahn, Head of Responsible Tech and Human Rights, BT

BT researchers are conducting the trials at BT’s research and engineering campus, using a 10-kilometre-long hollow core fibre cable provided by Lumenisity; this new type of network cable has a hollow, air filled centre that runs the entire length of the cable. It will be used to test a variety of use cases, including potential benefits for 5G networks and ultra-secure communications, like Quantum Key Distribution (QKD).

Networks across the world currently run on single-mode optical fibre, pioneered at Adastral Park, which consists of solid strands of glass. The glass in these cables quickly carries information over long distances by channelling light from laser transmitters through the glass strands. However, the nature of glass means that this light travels marginally slower inside the fibre than it would in air. Research into hollow core fibre presents an opportunity to explore how the capabilities of optical fibre can be enhanced in future, with the potential to reduce the latency, or signal delay, caused by the light travelling through glass, by up to 50%. This new fibre has an air-filled central core, with an outer ring of glass, to guide the laser beam whilst maintaining the signal speed at very close to the ultimate speed of light.

The reduction in the delay of the light provided by hollow core fibre would enable a variety of benefits, from high-frequency trading to lowering mobile network costs. Working with Mavenir, BT has shown that using hollow core fibre can increase the distance between street antennas and the back-end processing in exchanges. Due to the low latencies, use of hollow core in the Radio Access Network (RAN) could potentially reduce mobile network costs by allowing more 5G antennas to be served from one exchange or cabinet.

Professor Andrew Lord, BT’s Head of Optical Network Research, said: “We’re excited to begin trialling hollow core fibre and to discover the potential opportunities and benefits of deploying this technology in certain scenarios. This new type of fibre cable could play an important role in the future of the world’s communications infrastructure, heralding a step-change in capability and speed, to keep up with the demands for high-speed, low latency communications driven by 5G networks, streaming, and more.”

Mike Fake, Lumenisity’s Director responsible for Product Management, said: “Lumenisity is delighted to be the supplier of field deployable CoreSmart® hollowcore cable for these trials with BT. This is further evidence of the impact our unique low loss, high performing cables can have on the networks operated by our carrier partners.”

John Baker, Mavenir’s Senior Vice President Business Development, said: “The ability to extend the reach of fibre connected radios only further demonstrates the power of Open RAN and its Eco System. This improvement will significantly increase the number of use cases that can be served from containerised cloud based Open RAN solution.”

BT Sport today launches Innovate 21, a competition seeking ideas for exciting new sports broadcast experiences from entrepreneurs, creatives and start-ups. The competition will provide one lucky winner with the opportunity to be at the heart of BT Sport’s industry leading innovation.

With entries open from today, Innovate 21 invites submissions for innovations spanning the entire sports broadcast chain, from production at events through to the viewer at home. BT Sport is looking to uncover exciting ideas from across the UK, with the winner receiving a potential six-figure opportunity to work with BT to develop their idea, technology or service for future use and could even see it become available to all BT Sport customers. They will also receive BT Group mobile and/or broadband connectivity for a period of 12 months at no cost.

The competition is backed by BT Sport presenters Brian O’Driscoll, Suzi Perry and Robbie Savage who will be part of a panel of experts in September at a special event to select the winning innovation, led by Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport. Those involved in identifying both a shortlist and winner include journalist and technology expert Lucy Hedges, Matt Stagg, director of mobile strategy, BT Sport, Christian Thrane, managing director, marketing, for BT’s consumer division and Andrew Mensah, leading social media influencer and presenter of BT Sport programing including What I Wore.

Following the deadline for entries on 31 July, finalists will be invited to present their proposals to the panel at the BT Sport studios in East London in September, before a winner is selected. The finalists will also have access to Marc Allera, CEO, BT’s consumer division, for a unique chance to gain insight into innovation and technology from one of the leading FTSE 100 chief executives in the country.

Marc Allera, CEO, BT’s consumer division, said: “Delivering world class customer experiences is one of BT’s core objectives. Innovate 21 from BT Sport is a rare and exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs to join that effort but also to gain access to BT’s renowned expertise and leadership around technology, products and innovation.”

Entrants are encouraged to submit proposals in areas including, but not limited to, the Matchday Experience offering on the BT Sport App, ideas which have a strong sustainability, inclusivity or accessibility focus and ideas which enhance the live sports experience. Full terms and conditions and details of how to enter are available at www.bt.com/innovate21.

BT Sport has a rich history of providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to be at the heart of innovation. Since winning the 2018 BT Infinity Lab competition, Sceenic has worked with BT Sport to support last year’s launch of Watch Together on the BT Sport App. Meanwhile, the winner of the 2016 BT Infinity Lab competition, Seenit, enabled fans to send in short video reports and comments from stadia around the country as part of BT Sport’s Premier League Tonight show.

Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport, said: “BT is offering entrepreneurs the chance to join BT Sport’s industry-leading pursuit of providing the ultimate sports viewing experiences to customers. We are proud to have continually given our customers even more ways to watch and experience sport in recent years and Innovate 21 looks set to raise the bar even further for what BT Sport’s customers can enjoy.”

BT has been at the heart of sports broadcasting innovation over recent years:

• Last October, BT Sport and EE teamed up to launched Matchday Experience on the BT Sport App, offering fans the most immersive sports viewing experience anywhere in the UK, powered by EE’s number one 5G network. Features include Watch Together - the only service in the UK allowing fans to watch, see and chat with three other friends, alongside any BT Sport broadcast, thanks to a split-screen interface.

• BT Sport was the first broadcaster to show live content in 4K and UHD in 2015 and the first to adopt Dolby Atmos in 2016. BT Sport has also embraced social media, being the first to show the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals on YouTube and showing content such as BT Sport Score live for free on Twitter and Facebook.

• In 2019, BT Sport collaborated with BT’s Media & Broadcast arm to broadcast the world’s first live 8K test broadcast, into the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam.

• In 2018 BT Sport and EE successfully carried out the world’s first live broadcast over 5G using remote production, delivering a two-way transmission from Wembley Stadium to London’s ExCeL exhibition centre.

The partnership, which includes funding from BT, helps enable Code First Girls to provide £10,000 worth of free education to every woman undertaking a course with them and to upskill upwards of 900 women. Participating women will also benefit from the expertise of BT’s world class technologists who have helped to shape the Code First Girls courses, ensuring the next generation of women in technology are equipped with the skills they need to succeed.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic risks having regressive consequences on gender equality due to the economic impact on employment and retention. To tackle this, and to boost the representation of women in technology roles, BT is committing to provide the tools, support and skills women need to excel in the fields of technology and IT. Within BT, TechWomen, an award-winning 12-month development programme, encourages and equips more women to move into senior technology jobs across the business. Meanwhile, BT’s new strategic partnership with Code First Girls will address the need for an increased pipeline of female talent with the technical skills required for tech-focused roles.

BT’s new strategic partnership includes financial support for Code First Girls to provide their services for free, along with offering support for the design and delivery of Code First Girls courses, which are available free to women in full-time education and recent graduates. These courses include nanodegrees, classes and open online courses in a range of skills from Python and SQL coding to website development.

Code First Girls’ nanodegree offering was influenced by their furtHER programme, a 4-month intensive full-time coding course for women, designed and delivered with the help of BT technologists. The aim of these courses is to boost recruitment of women from non-STEM backgrounds into technology jobs and to equip participants with the technical skills they need to begin an entry-level or graduate technology role.

Cathryn Ross, Group Regulatory Affairs Director at BT Group, and sponsor of BT’s TechWomen programme, said: “It is critically important that our tech sector reflects the diversity of the society it serves. At BT, as a leading UK technology company, we are playing our part to help close the gender skills gap in tech. Our TechWomen programme helps pave the way for women in technology to progress into senior roles at BT, but our work can’t stop there; we must support the next generation of women outside our organisation and before they enter the workforce too. We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Code First Girls and our new partnership signifies an important milestone in our shared ambition to support and encourage women into technology roles.”

Anna Brailsford, CEO at Code First Girls, said: “At a time when women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, our priority is to help women achieve fair employment in the tech industry. We have seen a vast increase in interest for our courses, since the first lockdown, with over 800 percent growth in registrations for classes. Through our new partnership with BT and expanded corporate partnerships, we’re able to provide more women than ever with the opportunities to learn coding, build confidence through mentorship and gain access to a wide range of careers in technology.”

The technology sector has taken some big strides to foster a diverse environment, but we still have a way to go. Being the only teenage girl in a room with boys all around is intimidating. In my A level computing class, I was never confident enough to put my hand up even when I knew the answer. My A-level teacher believed in me and pushed me to believe in myself. She encouraged me to answer questions. She was my first advocate. It’s critical, now more than ever, that we actively support the next generation of technology leaders and empower them.

I didn’t know what enterprise architecture was growing up; no one ever asks you if you’ve thought about becoming an Enterprise or IT architect. We’re like city planners and building architects for the business world. Our challenge is to unravel and create new structures within the business to support and reimagine digital ways for people to use and interact with our services. By modernising BT’s IT application landscape, I help to ensure that BT can provide services to customers faster. That means that my work will help customers to find, buy and use our products in an easier, and more online way, than what they do today. It’s all about creating amazing digital experiences for our customers. And it’s where business and technology meet.

The role of an enterprise architect is about seeing the bigger picture, seeking tangible outcomes and translating them into innovative designs and roadmaps. Following my strengths led me to this role. But I couldn’t have done it without confidence in my abilities and a great support network throughout my whole career, even now.

My experience highlights just how critical it is to support women who are early on in their technical careers. I’m proud to play a role in BT’s TechWomen programme, our development programme to support career progression for women across the company. Each year, we take 400-450 women at manager and senior manager level and invest in giving them the tools they need to progress their careers. However, the point of TechWomen, and any development programme of a similar nature, is that someday the programme won’t be needed anymore. In that ideal future, women will naturally be progressing into high level tech roles and feel empowered in their careers. Equality is the goal.

BT’s TechWomen programme makes an active effort to change the status quo in technology companies. The programme started 5 years ago because we noticed that talented women were reaching a certain stage and not progressing; not for a lack of skills but because they lacked confidence. Because of this lack of confidence, women frequently miss out on career progression opportunities compared to their male counterparts. And I’m not just talking about women who do technical roles. We all face the same challenges. That’s why our programme is designed for all women at BT, regardless of their job title or remit, with the goal of creating an inclusive environment where they can thrive alongside their male colleagues.

The programme, which started out as casual sessions, has progressed into a full development programme run by professionals from outside BT. Over the course of the one-year programme, women participate in a variety of modules that cover personal brand, agile ways of working and more. We’ve had a learning curve due to coronavirus, as we’ve needed to evolve the way we deliver the programme. And this has helped us to flex to meet different learning styles by providing extra resources that can be tapped into anytime. As a result, TechWomen is continuing to give women at BT the tools they need to be confident, solve problems and progress their careers. By the end of this year, over 2,000 women at BT will have benefitted from the programme and this number is set to grow as the programme continues to expand and evolve.

I’m very proud of the progress we’re making in creating a pipeline of women who are ready to take on more senior roles in BT and the wider industry – helping to create the next generation of technology leaders. Last year, 95% of the women who completed the course felt confident that they possessed the tools to drive their career. It’s my hope that because of TechWomen, and other similar programmes, we’ll start to see far more women in senior roles across the technology sector and release their untapped potential. We all have a role to play in enabling this; whether it’s by building up someone’s courage and capability or by removing barriers.

Whether you’re an A level student or an IT Architect, it takes a lot of confidence to walk into a room where you’re the only woman. But once you take that first step, you’ll encounter many advocates and networks that want to support you. I am proud to be one of those advocates; and I’m increasingly not alone.

Josie Smith, Chief IT Architect

The AIRQKD trial combines BT’s globally leading expertise in building quantum-secure networks using QKD (Quantum Key Distribution – an essentially un-hackable, cutting edge technique for sharing encryption ‘keys’ between locations using a stream of single photons) with other new techniques for applying quantum security to mobile devices, developed by UK start-ups Nu Quantum, Angoka and Duality.

The trial, which will run for 36 months, is funded with £7.7M by the Quantum Technologies Challenge, led by UK Research and Innovation. It will for the first time combine Quantum Key Distribution over fixed fibre and free-space networks (point-to-point laser connections between cell sites), with quantum-enhanced security chips in mobile devices.

In combination, these technologies will be used to deliver an ultra-secure link between connected 5G towers and mobile devices, as well as to connected cars, in conjunction with the Warwick Manufacturing Group at Warwick University.

The new trial builds upon BT’s current fibre-based testbed for QKD, which runs between Cambridge and the BT Labs at Adastral Park, Suffolk. It will pave the way for the development of a wide range of quantum-secured use-cases, for applications where ultra-security of data transfer is especially important.

Cambridge-based Nu Quantum, one of the UK’s newest quantum technology start-ups, will be the provider of quantum components: small modules capable of manipulating the faintest light signals (single photons of light) to generate and communicate absolutely secure quantum encryption keys.

Other partners include Belfast-based Angoka, Bristol’s Duality Quantum Photonics and London-based Arqit; all cutting-edge start-ups specialising in the new field of Quantum tech, in which the UK is increasingly seen as taking an early lead.

Professor Andrew Lord, BT’s head of optical network research, said: “The UK has firmly established itself as a global leader in quantum-based network security. With the AIRQKD trial, we’re delighted to be taking this to the next level and combining multiple quantum technologies from innovative UK start-ups to build the world’s most secure fixed-mobile communications link. Connected cars are only one of the possible range of applications that will benefit from such ultra-secure connectivity in the future.”

Dr Carmen Palacios Berraquero, co-founder and CEO of Nu Quantum said: “In this project, we are basically creating the architecture for a whole new quantum-telecommunication industry, with a supply chain running from component manufacture through to end user. At Nu Quantum we have the unique ability to use the smallest packets of light, making the most of quantum mechanics and the security advantage it can give us. This 3-year partnership with BT and others across the UK is an important step taking quantum out of the lab and into our networks.”

Roger McKinlay, Challenge Director for the UK Quantum Technologies Challenge, said: “This investment is part of a wider package delivered by The National Quantum Technologies Programme, which is set to make a £1 billion investment over its life-time. This is ground-breaking technology but also commercially important, the close collaboration between the parties accelerating the establishment of a UK supply chain.”

AIRQKD is an Innovate UK funded project involving the following partners: BT, Lexden Technologies, OLC, Duality, Bristol University, Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, Strathclyde University, Warwick University Manufacturing Group, Bay Photonics, Heriot Watt University, Angoka, ArQit, Nu Quantum, National Physical Laboratory, CSA Catapult, Edinburgh University.

< Ends >

Relevant links:

BT Labs: https://atadastral.co.uk/

These proposals were revised in July to encompass a complete removal of Huawei equipment from the UK’s 5G networks by 2027.

This proposed legislation clearly has an impact on all operators in the UK market. It would be easy to focus purely on the challenges presented by that decision.

But it’s also a powerful opportunity. A chance to reframe and reshape our networks for the future; to build the fast, flexible, stable and secure connectivity our customers want, and the country needs.

I’ve been hugely impressed by the positive, forward looking attitude of our network and procurement teams as they’ve stepped up to address that opportunity.

In the nine months since the initial decision, we’ve signed significant new deals with two of the world’s leading equipment vendors, Nokia and Ericsson, that will enable us not only to meet our commitments to the UK government, but to continue building out our award-winning 5G network across the UK and to consolidate our leading position in mobile.

Two deals may not sound like a lot, but the scale and complexities involved mean that getting these agreed in just nine months is a real testament to the hard work of hundreds of people across the business.

But it’s only the start.

Since March, with the advent and impact of Covid-19, BT’s networks have played a central, crucial role in the UK’s ability to function as a society. We’ve kept tens of millions connected to their loved ones, to emergency services and local community support, to their jobs and schools.

Our networks have never experienced greater demand. Daytime traffic on our core network more than doubled over the course of this year, with millions of people working from home, entertaining and educating their families, and relying on us to deliver the connectivity they need, day in, day out.

The performance of our networks in the face of these pressures has been incredible, but our ability to scale to meet the challenges of Covid-19 hasn’t been a fluke, or down to luck.

In the past five years, BT has invested, consistently, in building one of the world’s leading networks. Through the acquisition of EE, our investments in 5G and full fibre, our leading public Wifi coverage, and our cutting edge, highly scalable, software-defined core, we’ve been laying the foundations to deliver a truly 21^st century connectivity platform for our customers, from consumers to global multinationals. We’re already a leader in many of the things that matter most to our customers – speed, reliability and security. But we’re not resting on our laurels.

There’s still lots of work to do. We’re building like fury to extend full fibre broadband and mobile coverage as widely as possible, including the rapid early deployment of 5G across 112 towns and cities, but those are multi-year programmes, as is our commitment to closing down our legacy network infrastructure, and moving to IP voice and data networks.

We have already laid the groundwork for one of the most modern, secure and capable communications infrastructures, not only in the UK, but globally. A benchmark against which other networks will be measured, a powerful differentiator for us as a business, and a powerful force for the UK’s post-Brexit economy and recovery from Covid-19. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

- Howard Watson, Chief Technology and Information Officer

For more information about what we’re doing in response to Coronavirus, please visit:

BT Group: www.btplc.com/coronavirus

BT: www.bt.com/coronavirus

EE: www.ee.co.uk/coronavirus

Plusnet: www.plusnet.co.uk/coronavirus