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BT launches its new converged product for consumer and enterprise customers in London on Wednesday
BT will transform itself into a comprehensive provider of digital services, as the company doubles down on convergence in the coming years, according to the company’s chief executive officer.
Speaking to journalists in London on Wednesday, BT’s chief exec, Philip Jansen, said that the company would continue to evolve its product offering in order to consolidate its position as the UK’s leading provider.
"The launch of our Beyond Limits initiative is a rallying cry both internally and externally. This is a once in a lifetime shift in the culture of BT. I’ve spent the last two days in deep discussion with BT’s senior leadership team, talking about our latest plans and working on the next chapter of our journey to make our customers lives easier and more rewarding.
"We don’t want to be seen as just another communications provider. We want to be more than that," he said.
The key to this evolution will be a renewed focus on convergence, as BT looks to provide seamless connectivity across its fixed line, mobile and WIFI networks.
"In the future, it won’t be about fixed versus wireless connections. It will just be about expecting that ubiquitous connectivity.
BT launched the next generation of its converged product offering, Halo, at the event on Wednesday. Halo will offer unlimited data and calls on mobile and at home as well as inclusive support from BT’s new team of Home Tech Experts. Halo customers will also be the first customers to be able to upgrade to 5G, when BT launches full 5G services on Friday 11 October.
"Halo is our new flagship convergence plan, which will give our customers the best connection and service experience we’ve ever created. We’ve added unlimited data on their smartphones to give them peace of mind. We’ve added 5G to give them access to the fastest speeds on our industry leading network. We’ve simplified our calling plans for landlines and removed out of contract price increases," said Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division.
BT has been talking up the merits of convergence for some time and Jansen’s decision to put it front and centre of the company’s strategy going forward is hardly surprising. While analysts were broadly supportive of the launch, some stressed the importance of moving quickly.
"Convergence represents a key pillar of BT’s strategy and one of the few areas for future growth in a cut throat market. While BT is well placed given its network assets, this move should have been made some time ago. There are no more excuses, it must execute," said Paolo Pescatore, telecoms analyst at PP Foresight.
