BT Enterprise: Beyond Limits P ROJ E C T PA RT N E R S
2
BT Enterprise: Beyond Limits WRITTEN BY
Andrew Woods PRODUCED BY Andy Lloyd PHOTOGRAPHY BY A n d y Ty l e r V I D E O B Y Tre t t F i l m s
3
We speak to John Vickery, BT’s Principal Technology Partner for Enterprise, who explains how the company is harnessing innovation in enabling digital transformation…
T
he rapid advance of technology has disrupted virtually every industry you can think of and yet the core aims of any
enterprise have remained the same. ‘How can we improve our bottom line, sell more product, receive better insights and make better strategic decisions? How can we improve productivity?’ These concerns are unchanging although the landscape is shifting dramatically. BT’s Enterprise business offers real and tangible outcomes for its customers amid this turbulent digital disruption. Echoing the new company-wide strapline, John Vickery, BT’s Principal Technology Partner for Enterprise explains: “We’re going beyond limits to deliver digital transformation for our customers. AI, IoT, data, cloud, edge compute; we bring all of that together into a single ecosystem, through 5G, to deliver the technological capabilities that our customers need to achieve their outcomes.” BT’s Enterprise unit is shifting its business from being seen as a provider of connectivity products such as broadband, ethernet and SIM cards – to a business that can really deliver and assure business outcomes at a time when many businesses don’t necessarily have the confidence to invest in new technology. “We bring the whole proposition to give them 4
BT
John Vickery, BT’s Principal Technology Partner for Enterprise
w w w.bt.com
5
T RANS FORM ING M OBILE N ETW ORK ECONOM ICS
WEB SCALE AGILITY COST EFFICIENCY
5G CORE
VIRTUALIZED RAN
vEPC
NEUTRAL HOST
E N T E R P R I S E LT E
NFV/SDN
mavenir.com
In the telecommunications industry,
What is required is a move to
ing on with Mavenir for Neutral Hosting solution.
virtualisation technology is a tre-
the next level of implementing
mendous disruptor. It is bringing a
true cloud-native applications
new way of doing business which up
which have the characteristics to
tive and virtualised radio and core
until now was defined by major web
be open and allow their life cycle
solution, BT is able to “slice� the
players such as Google and Amazon
to be automated as well as having
Mavenir solution and provide a
which had embraced virtualisation
the elasticity to perform scaling
single architecture and infrastruc-
much earlier.
for more dynamic cases.
ture, coverage and capabilities to
Mavenir lays its foundation on
There is a plethora of new
By utilising a proper cloud na-
multiple operators: each operator
Virtualisation and it is the indus-
software suppliers which bring
will have its own slice and will be
try’s only 100% software
innovation and new approach-
able to run its traffic without any
end- -to-end provider with its
es to CI/CD (Continuous Inte-
impact on one another.
cloud native approach.
gration and Continuous Devel-
The separation, made possible
opment) and with virtualisation,
by the virtualisation and network
about Virtual Machines or Con-
they are now a viable solution
slicing, is so effective that each
tainers, is bringing agility and web
for operators like BT.
operator can run different soft-
Virtualisation, whether we talk
scale by not only improving the
Mavenir is definitively among
ware and capabilities depending
way applications are deployed
those and have the unique char-
on their offering while being able
and automating procedures, but
acteristic of being end to end
to differentiate despite using a
also by impacting the economic
and compete with total solutions
common infrastructure.
model of telecommunications.
from core services to access.
Mavenir aims to transform the
The cloud native approach
The solution has proved to be extremely interesting and much
network economic model for Mo-
provides new architectural
more effective than some of the
bile Operators, by utilising virtu-
solutions where processing can
traditional solutions which have
alisation, which means providing
be deployed much closer to the
been adopted in mobile Network
software for standard Commer-
access and open up new use
Sharing scenarios worldwide and
cial Off the Shelves hardware and
cases, especially for enterprises
across the UK.
based on Open Interfaces like in
in which 5G is richer and opens
the case of OpenRAN.
up more opportunities.
Until now, operators have begun to embrace the early stages of virtualisation, but in most cases
There is no 5G without virtualisation and this is a fact. In order to provide flexible and
A new era has arrived and finally telco operators will be able to benefit from the web scale agility of the aforementioned major web players. Virtualisation is here to
they stopped their path by only
agile solutions, we need to be
stay and is profoundly changing
migrating software onto servers
able to scale and throw out the
our industry: Mavenir is leading
in Data Centres. This is mainly
old legacy which is slowing the
in cloud native solutions and is
due to a reliance on traditional
transformation. A very interesting
here to impact and transform the
Network Equipment Vendors.
case is the one that BT is work-
mobile networks.
w w w.th e in te r fa ce . n e t
7
that confidence,” Vickery explains, the week following BT’s massive ‘Beyond Limits’ rebrand. “And if we need to, we’d love to develop a proposition where we can actually commit and assure those outcomes on an SLA (service level agreement) basis.” Vickery is the Principal Technology Partner for 5G, edge compute, private networks, and all the new innovative, disruptive technologies helping BT’s Enterprise business deliver new outcomes for its customers. Vickery looks after this portfolio of innovation, which 5G brings together into a single ecosystem to deliver the technology capabilities that its customers demand; and there are plenty of them. BT’s enterprise clients range from massive corporates all the way through to SMEs, microbusinesses and sole traders. “We’ve got 1.2 million business custom-
“We’re a team of experts and consult-
ers to speak to, something like 700,000
ants who go out and work with custom-
SMEs, corporates, major corporates,
ers to get a deep understanding of their
public sector, defence, Scottish salmon
requirements,” says Vickery. “We’ve got
farms, you name it. There is a huge range
a specialist who looks at utilities, and
of businesses.”
someone who looks at manufacturing
The CTIO (chief technology and
and production. It gives us a meaning-
information office) holds a unique
ful insight into where they’re looking
place within BT, with one in each line
to technology to deliver their business
of its business; Global, Consumer and
objectives such as improving productiv-
Enterprise.
ity, introducing automation and cutting
8
BT
with technology. “At the moment, a lot of people talk about 5G campus networks and how to build out in places like airports and ports. We’ve worked on some really innovative projects with costs. They’re looking to partners to
them (Belfast Harbour),” says Vickery.
give them the answers because they’re
“We delivered the fastest 5G network
wondering how to pick the right tech-
into the harbour that we’ve deployed to
nology. We’re the kind of technology
date. Within six weeks we had five carri-
business that gives them the answers,
ers of 4G and 5G over the top. We’re
as well as the confidence, to invest in the
delivering ultrafast speeds of 700 800
right areas.”
megabits per second to enable their
Belfast Harbour is a 2,000-acre port
engineers to do crane maintenance
that also houses university campuses,
routines through augmented reality
museums and filming locations, with
headsets. Now, all of their workflows
a real ambition to drive and innovate
are loaded on software working with our w w w.bt.com
9
The edge is here. Get early access and deploy to edge first. At MobiledgeX we work with the world’s leading telecom operators to make their capabilities and infrastructure available to secure your success. Deploy to operator networks in minutes and gain proximity, trust and performance.
Learn more at MobiledgeX.com/early-access
partner Ubimax. If they come across a
cloud help you? And what we’re trying
problem or there’s a fault, they can use
to do is build a proposition for those
voice commands to get immediately
customers so they can pick from a
connected to a remote expert. It helps to
modular set of capabilities that we
set themselves up for the future so they
can then package up into a solution.
can increase their productivity for these
Security, data sovereignty through
kinds of engineering tasks.”
to reductions in backhaul costs and
BT was the first company to launch
lowering latency - every customer
5G services in the UK in May this year.
needs something different. We work
“Many customers want to find out how
with each customer to understand
they can leverage 5G,” says Vickery.
their specific needs and make sure
“It’s about that dialogue. What do you
we’ve got our proposition, and the hori-
need? How can edge compute help
zontal capabilities, to support them.”
you? How can AI help you? How can
Healthcare is a big focus area for BT’s
w w w. b t. co m
11
“ We’ve got 1.2 million business customers to speak to, something like 700,000 SMEs, corporates, major corporates, public sector, defence, Scottish salmon farms, you name it” — J O H N V I C K E R Y, B T ’ S P R I N C I PA L T E C H N O L O G Y PA R T N E R F O R E N T E R P R I S E
Enterprise business which is currently
diagnostics and clinical care to patients
acting as a service integrator to one of
remotely over 5G, without the need for
its NHS customers. “One of the things
hospital conveyances, then not only do
we’ve been looking at in Birmingham
you improve patient care, productiv-
is a connected ambulance. We were
ity and reduce waiting times but you
the first in the UK to deliver a 5G use
also remove the traffic on the roads and
case for ambulances where you have
improve the environment.”
a trained sonographer in the hospital
Vickery is very passionate when it
guiding a paramedic who isn’t trained
comes to 5G. “5G is actually going to
in sonography. Through the use of a
help people save lives,” he says. “We put
haptic glove, the sonographer within
a 360-degree video inside an ambu-
the hospital can control a joystick and
lance so the diagnosticians and the
that gives the paramedic signals in the
clinicians in the hospital are able to
hand so they know where to move the
feel like they’re in the ambulance and
scanner. If you can start bringing the
can see everything around them. Now,
12
BT
doing that with 360-degree video and
imagery and a close-up camera all
transmitting all that data in real time is
embedded and accessible from within
quite complex. So, we’re working with
the immersive reality in real time. It
a partner called Voysys who ensure the
really is a fantastic demonstration of
immersive experience for the remote
what 5G can do for healthcare. We’ve
diagnostician is as accurate as it can be.
also been working with Ericsson and
When you are interacting with paramed-
Kings College London in that trial, and
ics in an ambulance and guiding their
Ericsson played a big role on the devel-
actions, network latency needs to be
opment side particularly around the
consistently low which is why 5G is so
platform that underpins the technology.
important for this type of use case, as it
We also had fantastic support from our
enhances the interactive experience and
Applied Research team at BT’s labs in
ensures content delivery in real time.
Adastral Park (Suffolk).”
The remote clinician also has access to patient records, vital signs, ultrasound
“The research team are real asset for us and the innovation and investment w w w.bt.com
13
14
CONTENTS
in R&D from this team is just stagger-
a control room,” he explains. “These
ing. We are the 3rd largest tech inves-
cameras combined will need one giga-
tor in research and development in the
bit per second on the uplink, which is
UK spending £2.5 billion over the past
massive. Only 5G can provide that. This
5 years. We have over 5,000 patents
isn’t a kind of use case where, if you had
in our portfolio and last year alone we
a really good 4G signal, it would work.
filed 103 new inventions. I love sharing
This is a disruptive use case, which
this message with our customers as it
needs pure 5G to make it work. So, you
really demonstrates our commitment
need a consistent latency of 18 milli-
to innovation and positions BT as a real
seconds. You’re actually taking people
forward thinking and innovative tech-
out of a dangerous situation; by climb-
nology partner.”
ing up to the crane every morning.
Vickery was in Zurich recently, speak-
You’re pulling people out of the process
ing to a company called ZPMC, who are
and centralising your operations while
undertaking remote crane operations.
increasing your productivity. You could
“You need 18 high definition cameras to
have a crane operator who can be work-
be able to operate a crane remotely from
ing two or three cranes from a control w w w. b t. co m
15
YEAR FOUNDED
1969
REGION HQ
London, UK
w w w.th e in te r fa ce . n e t
17
room and that increases productivity and the bottom line. We’re looking at the horizontal capabilities that have applications across multiple verticals so we can make it bespoke and collaborate with our customers to make it work for them. But the capabilities we invest in and develop and build, we can use over a whole range of sectors. That’s really where the strength lies, in the scale of BT.” Partnerships are hugely important to BT and Vickery acknowledges that it can’t deliver every outcome itself. “We’re very strong in connectivity. Everybody can appreciate that. We’ve got great managed service capability. We can do the whole end-toend orchestration piece. Where we’re moving into is around the compute, the cloud and the edge. And so, we want great application developers and device partners to be able to plug into that ecosystem. We want to create an edge ecosystem where application partners can very easily distribute their software to our customers. We’re really keen to work with partners in that space.” One of the companies BT is working with, from a research perspective, is MobiledgeX. “They have got the ability to deliver globally orchestrated edge cloud, so it makes it very easy for 18
BT
“ We’re looking at the horizontal capabilities that have applications across multiple verticals so we can make it bespoke and collaborate with our customers to make it work for them” — J O H N V I C K E R Y, B T ’ S P R I N C I PA L T E C H N O L O G Y PA R T N E R F O R E N T E R P R I S E
w w w.bt.com
19
application developers to distribute their
leading 5G network operator, with 5G
software at a global level, working with
in more places than any other provider.
partners like BT to provide all the under-
When our customers ask us, ‘Do I need
lying connectivity and service integra-
5G in my building? Do I need Wi-Fi 6?’,
tion. And that’s a really interesting prop-
we just talk about what the differences
osition. Some of the other things we’re
and benefits are. Where convergence
looking at are around convergence. We
takes us is in using both. You can use
always get asked this question: ‘Do I
Wi-Fi and 5G, to get the best experi-
need 5G in-building? Do I need Wi-Fi 6?’
ence possible on that device through
Obviously, we’re a huge Wi-Fi business,
fixed wireless convergence. The innova-
huge Wi-Fi provider. We’re also the UK’s
tion we’re doing with organisations like
20
BT
“We’re going beyond connectivity. We’re helping give our customers confidence around trust, identity and security; ultimately protecting the UK and the citizens of the UK” — J O H N V I C K E R Y, B T ’ S P R I N C I PA L T E C H N O L O G Y PA R T N E R F O R E N T E R P R I S E
Casa Systems in our core network, will
called neutral host. “There is a model for
provide a much better experience. Your
in-building connectivity which is expe-
phone will be able to switch seamlessly
riencing exponential growth and it’s
between Wi-Fi and 5G without you
called neutral host,” Vickery explains.
having to do anything. It’s all about the
“Let’s say that Lesley owns a corner
user experience. We just want to give
street café with no mobile signal at
our customers a solution that works
all, and all her customers start going
out the box, to deliver the best possible
to Jean’s café down the road who has
experience wherever they are.”
perfect 4G on every network. Now,
A really interesting area for Enterprise is linked to its Wholesale business. It’s
Lesley wants 4G because it impacts her bottom line, but she can’t discriminate w w w.bt.com
21
which network her customers are on;
her broadband to give the people in her
some of them will be on EE, some of
cafe 4G or 5G connectivity whatever
them will be on Vodafone, O2, or Three.
network they’re on. Now that is not an
Well BT Wholesale, which is part of
easy thing to do, but there is a group
Enterprise has a great track record of
called JOTS, which is the Joint Operator
providing backhaul connectivity for
Technical Specifications forum and
the UK mobile operators on a whole-
they write the shared specifications for
sale basis, and obviously that capabil-
multi operator systems in the UK, and
ity lends itself very well to this concept
we’re working very closely with them
of neutral host. Ultimately, what we
to innovate on new disruptive ways of
want to deliver is a radio for Lesley’s
achieving that goal. One of the part-
corner cafe that she can just plug into
ners we’re working with is Mavenir and
22
BT
they’re really pioneering the neutral
network end-to-end, but they can
host model for virtualised RAN; part of
deliver that network over common
the open RAN standards.”
infrastructure, thus enabling them
BT recently joined ORAN Alliance,
to get into locations which would
which supports the move towards
have previously been outside of their
open interfaces for mobile and neutral
budget. And even better, it enables
host; probably the first and the most
these business customers, where
compelling use case for virtualised
they’ve got the public coming in and out
RAN. “It means that operators don’t
freely, to deliver in-building connectiv-
need to work together on shared
ity at an affordable price.”
systems. With virtualised RAN, each operator can have a logically separated
Security and trust form a significant component of BT’s portfolio and they w w w.bt.com
23
The Enterprise Chief Technology and Information Officer is Fotis Karonis who is also a Managing Director and 5G Executive Advisor. “We are absolutely delivering in our vision to take our business customers beyond limits with us,” Karonis explains. “This means working with fantastic partners to drive real business outcomes that not only benefit our customers but the UK as whole. In May this year, we were first to launch 5G in the UK, with 5G in more places across the region than any other operator, and we’re continuing to invest in providing our customers the best network across the UK. It is our continued leadership in reliable mobile and fixed networks, combined with our team of experts, that positions us with a unique ability to deliver the most innovative technology and unparalleled user experiences as we move towards a digital future.”
24
BT
are proud to be market leaders in cybersecurity. “We are a really trusted brand and I think that’s important for our customers, especially when they’ve got critical data they need to move around.” Vickery is certainly passionate about the innovation BT can produce for its clients. “CTIO is one of the most agile teams in the business. We’re a small team, more like a start-up and people love coming to work and thinking, ‘Actually, I’m doing something no one’s ever done before.’ We’re delivering world firsts. We’re co-creating, getting deeper relationships with our customers while delivering better experiences for our colleagues. We’re really engaged and motivated to come to work. But ultimately, it’s about what we deliver to the UK as a whole. We’re going beyond connectivity. We’re helping give our customers confidence around trust, identity and security; ultimately protecting the UK and the citizens of the UK. I think that’s what going ‘Beyond Limits’ is all about.”
w w w.bt.com
25
W W W. B T P LC . CO M