BT

BT is pressing ahead with cost-cutting as it confronts sharper broadband competition, softer device demand, and structural declines in legacy services. BT reduced its total workforce by about 6% in the first half of its financial year, down to roughly 111,000 employees from 116,000 at the start of the period. The group reported around £250 million in additional annualized cost savings, bringing cumulative savings to about £1.2 billion across the first 18 months of the program and reaffirming a target of £3 billion in annual savings. Group revenue for the six months to September 30 declined about 3% year over year to £9.8 billion. Openreach’s broadband base contracted, with approximately 242,000 fewer broadband customers in Q2 FY25.
October’s job-cut announcements surged, with AI and cost control reshaping staffing plans across technology and adjacent sectors. Planned layoffs spiked to roughly 153,000 in October, up more than 180% from September and about 175% from a year ago, according to the latest Challenger job-cuts tally. Year-to-date announcements for 2025 have crossed 1.09 million, the highest October-through-period since the pandemic shock of 2020 and above comparable 2009 levels. The cuts reflect a pivot from growth-at-any-cost to profitability, with AI rebalancing roles and budgets across the stack. Across reasons given, cost reduction led by a wide margin, and AI adoption was the second-largest driver, underscoring both macro pressure and structural transformation.
AWS experienced a major outage centered on its US-EAST-1 region in Northern Virginia, triggering cascading failures across dozens of cloud services and dependent applications worldwide. The incident began in the early hours of Monday and was initially mitigated within a few hours, though residual errors and recovery backlogs persisted through the morning in US-EAST-1. Engineering updates point to a DNS resolution problem affecting a key database endpoint (DynamoDB) alongside internal network and gateway errors in EC2, which then propagated across dependent services such as SQS and Amazon Connect. When a foundational component like DNS or an internal networking fabric falters, service discovery and API calls fail in bulk.
The telecom sector once hailed AI as a game-changer, but is it delivering? This article explores why many operators report low ROI on AI tools, and how legacy systems, cultural resistance, and regulatory hurdles stall adoption. Despite challenges, AI shows targeted promise in predictive maintenance, fraud detection, and 5G network slicing.
The GSMA Foundry has launched Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks, an open-source AI evaluation framework designed to enhance telecom-specific large language models (LLMs). Supported by Hugging Face, The Linux Foundation, Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom, and more, this initiative aims to improve AI efficiency, security, and compliance in 5G and 6G networks. Learn how this industry-wide benchmark is shaping the future of telecom AI innovation.
Hrvatski Telekom and Nokia have launched API pilot projects to accelerate 5G application development in Croatia. Using Nokia's Network as Code platform, the collaboration provides developers with streamlined access to HT's 5G network, enabling faster, innovative app creation across industries. This initiative strengthens Nokia’s API ecosystem, adding partners like Infobip and Elmo to unlock new use cases in real-time communication, teledriving, and beyond, setting a new standard for 5G-powered applications.
BT Group is reportedly working with Citigroup on a potential sale of its financial services unit, Radianz. This move aligns with CEO Allison Kirkby’s plan to streamline BT’s operations and reduce costs. Acquired from Reuters in 2005, Radianz generates annual earnings of £60-70 million and could be sold for a few hundred million pounds. Alongside this, BT is also considering sales of operations in Ireland and Italy as part of Kirkby's restructuring strategy.
BT Group has unveiled its first-ever self-powered mobile site in the Shropshire Hills, powered by 70% on-site renewable energy from solar panels and wind turbines. This innovative site delivers reliable 4G and 5G connectivity to EE customers and supports BT Group’s ambitious net zero targets by 2031, showcasing the company’s commitment to sustainable technology and energy efficiency.
In the latest edition of TeckNexus Magazine, explore how Generative AI is transforming the telecom industry. Dive into Jio’s JioBrain platform, the Supermicro-Nvidia partnership for scaling AI infrastructure, and Generative AI use cases for operators with insights from RADCOM. In an exclusive interview, Hardik Jain of GXC discusses integrating Generative AI with private 5G networks. Plus, gain insights from Eugina Jordan on Generative AI for business, Fiducia’s 5G and AI-driven stadium innovations, and strategies from 12 global operators on harnessing Generative AI for growth.
The article discusses the transformative impact of Generative AI on the telecom industry, highlighting its benefits in optimizing operational efficiency, enhancing customer support, and improving knowledge management. Generative AI streamlines processes, reduces the need for human intervention, and provides real-time, accurate responses. It is crucial in network performance, planning, and proactive maintenance, ensuring high reliability and service quality. The technology also facilitates personalized marketing and sales strategies, boosting customer engagement. However, the integration of Generative AI poses challenges such as data management, privacy concerns, infrastructure scalability, and the need for specialized expertise, which must be addressed to fully leverage its potential.
The article "Generative AI in Telecom: Insights and Strategies from 12 Global Operators" by Hema Kadia explores the diverse and transformative applications of generative AI across leading telecommunications companies. AT&T's Ask AT&T tool enhances employee productivity by streamlining software development and data analysis. Bell Canada leverages AI to improve customer experience and predict environmental events, optimizing business operations. BT Group uses AI to enhance software development and customer service, while Deutsche Telekom focuses on secure AI solutions and innovative customer service models. Etisalat integrates machine learning to optimize operations and create personalized content. Orange, Jio, Singtel, SK Telecom, Telefónica, Verizon, and Vodafone all showcase unique AI strategies, emphasizing customer service, operational efficiency, and new business opportunities through advanced AI technologies and strategic partnerships. Each company demonstrates how generative AI can revolutionize the telecom industry by improving internal processes, customer interactions, and overall service delivery.

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