BT International Launches with AI-Ready Global Platforms

Multinational businesses face unparalleled disruption in an era marked by seismic shifts across technology, geopolitics and regulatory frameworks. BT Group has responded to the changing landscape with a strategic pivot: the launch of BT International — a dedicated unit focused exclusively on serving multinational customers.

Bas Burger, CEO of BT International, recently outlined the bold move and what it means for the future of telecommunications.

“Today, we launch BT International, serving our multinational customers as a dedicated operation within BT Group with its people, products and platforms,” Bas stated, recognising a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing transformation.

Telco reimagined for the AI era

BT International’s launch comes as the convergence of cloud, AI and cybersecurity demands redefines what it means to be a global telco provider. It has intentionally designed its offering to respond to these shifts and enable customers to anticipate and embrace the next wave of innovation.

“It comes as our customers face unprecedented disruption across their markets driven by geopolitics, regulation and technology, with AI catalysing change faster than ever,” Bas explained. “We have designed BT International specifically to help our customers meet these challenges head-on and anticipate future opportunities to thrive.”

At the heart of the transformation are two core platforms, Global Voice and Global Fabric. Each, by design, supports the modern demands of cloud-first, AI-integrated business models.

From asset-light to platform-powered

BT has been progressing a strategic shift away from traditional, asset-heavy infrastructure towards highly scalable, software-defined platforms. The new capabilities reflect the modern demands on global networks, especially the unpredictable traffic patterns caused by generative AI and hybrid cloud environments.

“We have evolved our ‘asset-light’ strategy for several years,” said Bas. “AI has unpredictable impacts on our customers’ networks — from the lumpy, bulky training workloads of large language models (LLMs) powering Gen AI to the low latency demands of conversational AI and augmented reality.”

In this context, BT is doubling on scalable, cloud-native platforms that can accommodate AI’s surging demands and the evolving cybersecurity threat landscape.

Telecoms gets its voice back

One of the most compelling components of BT International’s new offering is Global Voice, a next-generation platform that combines legacy voice expertise with future-facing AI integration.

“Our Global Voice platform enables businesses, governments and the people they engage with to communicate with each other effortlessly,” Bas noted. “We’re already world-leading in the global voice services market, managing over 16 billion calls to customer call centres in over 70 countries every year.”

BT is positioning itself to enable AI-driven voice experiences by leveraging SIP-powered, cloud-focused infrastructure.

Gartner projects that by 2028, 30% of Fortune 500 companies will deliver customer service solely through AI-enabled channels. With over 5,000 contact centres delivered globally, BT is preparing for that future.

Global Fabric: Network-as-a-Service for a cloud-first world

Complementing Global Voice is Global Fabric, BT’s new network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform. Purpose-built for AI, SaaS and hybrid cloud demands, Global Fabric, delivers instant, secure connectivity to the world’s leading digital services.

“This is the platform that will help us achieve our goal to be the world’s number one provider of secure multi-cloud connectivity,” said Bas.

More than speed and security, Global Fabric addresses critical concerns around data sovereignty, a key regulatory issue for global enterprises.

“Technology and data have become geopolitical pawns,” Bas explained. “With Global Fabric, customers can choose both the cloud destinations their data goes to and the route it takes along the way. This means regulated data never leaves the designated national borders and helps customers stay compliant.”

Collaborating for a global telco future

BT International is not building in isolation. Recognising that the telco sector’s future lies in consolidated, interoperable global platforms, it actively encourages partnerships with other service providers.

“We invite other service providers to work with BT International as we build out our ecosystem of partners, including our recently announced partnership with Google Cloud,” Bas said.

The collaborative vision is not just about growth; it’s about industry transformation. Bas clarifies that now is the time to abandon fragmented, legacy infrastructure for streamlined platforms purpose-built for the AI age.

A pivotal moment for global telcos

As enterprises shift their focus toward digital resilience, agility and sovereignty, BT International emerges as a strategic response to the growing complexity of global connectivity. With Global Voice and Global Fabric at its core, BT is well-positioned to navigate and lead in a world where AI, cyber threats and cloud computing shape every business decision.

“We’re at a pivotal moment as an industry,” Bas concluded. “It is an opportunity to move away from fragmented legacy international networks to a platform designed with the reality of AI, cyber and cloud at its core, reflecting customers’ expectations of speed, security, sustainability, sovereignty and naturally the skills to support future growth and prosperity.”

BT International has made its statement clear: The future of global telecommunications will be faster, smarter and more secure and it starts now.

Explore the latest edition of Mobile Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Tech & AI LIVE and Cloud & 5G LIVE. Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.

Sign up to receive the Mobile Magazine weekly newsletter.

Mobile Magazine is a BizClik brand