BBC taps BT for online broadcast network


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Editor

| 30 January 2016




With its digital-first strategy foremost, the BBC has chosen incumbent telco BT to provide it with a new, state-of-the-art network based on internet technologies from April 2017.



The new network will link all BBC UK sites, including 21 broadcasting centres and local radio stations, as well as connecting to the main overseas bureaux and partners for playout of the BBC’s TV channels. It will carry all video, audio and data traffic, as well as fixed line telephony, ISDN and broadband services.

BT’s contract for the new provider is worth over £100 million for seven years, with an option for the BBC to extend for a further three. The two companies say the new network will deliver ‘considerable’ savings and will be more efficient, flexible and able to pave the way for future digital innovation by the BBC. The corporation asserts that the network will deliver much-needed efficiencies in the order of tens of millions of pounds, making a significant contribution to the BBC’s cost-savings targets, as it capitalises on advances in technology and a competitive procurement to reduce the overall cost.

In a practical sense, use case examples offered by the broadcaster include being able to offer extra services and capacity for major events, such as a general election or the Olympics, more easily and at a lower cost than with the current system. The BBC added that such a network would make it easier for the BBC to work with and explore emerging data-hungry formats, like 4K/Ultra HD and 360-degree content.

"This is an important step towards building an internet-fit BBC and will allow us to provide more interactive and personalised content in the future,” commented BBC chief technology officer Matthew Postgate. “At a time when the BBC faces serious financial challenges, it will also save us tens of millions of pounds so we can focus more of our money on the programmes and services for licence fee payers.”

Added Mark Wilson-Dunn, global vice president of BT Media and Broadcast: “We are delighted by the BBC’s decision to choose us as their next generation broadcast network partner. Both of our organisations have a vital part to play in making the best use of advanced technology to support and enable the ever-accelerating evolution of broadcast media.”