BT & STACKIT: Boosting EU Enterprise Cloud Connectivity

BT International is expanding its sovereign cloud proposition through a partnership with STACKIT, the cloud provider of Schwarz Digits.

The decision comes as multinational companies face mounting pressure around data sovereignty and regulatory compliance across Europe.

The agreement centres on connectivity. Initially, BT will provide internet peering from its global network into STACKIT’s EU-based sovereign cloud.

Private connectivity options will follow when both services move onto BT’s Global Fabric network-as-a-service platform.

Joris van Oers, Chief Commercial Officer at BT International, says: “Sovereignty is top of mind for our customers – data sovereignty and both operational and technical sovereignty too.

“CIOs want resilient networks and IT systems to keep their businesses running, regardless of trade policy changes, global outages or natural disasters.

“We’re partnering with STACKIT to provide customers operating in Europe with trusted access to sovereign and resilient cloud services.

“It’s a powerful example of why BT is the global leader in secure multi-cloud connectivity.”

Connectivity becomes part of sovereignty strategy

BT’s role extends beyond basic connectivity, with Global Fabric designed to provide on-demand networking between sovereign cloud platforms, SaaS applications and security services.

Network-as-a-service, or NaaS, allows organisations to provision and manage network connectivity more flexibly through software rather than relying entirely on fixed infrastructure contracts.

BT says Global Fabric gives multinational customers greater control over how workloads and data move across networks and cloud environments.

That capability is becoming increasingly important as organisations align their international operations with stricter European data rules.

For the first time, STACKIT’s private sovereign cloud will be accessible to organisations outside the EU through a private sovereign connection, rather than relying on the public internet.

The model aims to provide more predictable security and compliance controls for enterprises moving sensitive applications and data across borders.

The companies say this approach benefits both European-headquartered firms with global operations and international businesses operating within the EU.

In practice, enterprises can build infrastructure that supports European regulatory requirements while still connecting global users and operations.

STACKIT operates data centres exclusively in Europe and says its infrastructure complies fully with GDPR requirements, which govern how organisations collect, process and store personal data belonging to EU citizens.

The cloud provider designs recovery capabilities which protect against outages linked to natural disasters and other potentially disruptive events.

Geopolitics shapes enterprise network priorities

The partnership has emerged as geopolitical concerns are increasingly shaping enterprise technology spending.

According to McKinsey’s February-March 2026 Economic Conditions Outlook survey, 72% of executives identified geopolitical instability as one of the biggest global economic risks, compared with 51% in December 2025.

That environment is pushing telco operators and cloud providers to frame connectivity as a resilience issue as much as a performance issue.

BT argues that sovereign connectivity allows customers to maintain control over data routes even when workloads move between different cloud environments and users.

By linking STACKIT services through Global Fabric, customers can keep data traffic within EU borders throughout transmission.

“Through our partnership with BT, we are creating a groundbreaking connection for digital sovereignty,” says Ghoutam Banerjee, Director Partner Ecosystem & Growth at STACKIT.

“Together, we are enabling multinational corporations to access our sovereign STACKIT Cloud directly from locations outside the EU via a private sovereign connection.

“This integration not only strengthens our customers' operational resilience but also guarantees full compliance with European data protection standards, while ensuring that data remains securely within EU borders.”

Rather than treating cloud sovereignty solely as a data centre issue, operators are now positioning connectivity infrastructure as part of broader governance strategies.

BT expands enterprise multi-cloud proposition

The STACKIT partnership also strengthens BT International’s wider multi-cloud connectivity portfolio at a time when enterprises continue adopting hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.

Global Fabric includes pre-integrated connections to major cloud providers, software platforms and security services, allowing customers to connect applications and workloads across different environments through a single networking platform.

These services provide an opportunity for telcos to move further into enterprise cloud ecosystems while differentiating from traditional connectivity providers.