Petroc Taylor
Research expert covering global developments in the use of data
Get in touch with us nowChanging nature of the communications industry leads to lower revenues
BT’s quarterly revenue has generally declined since reaching a peak of 6.17 billion British pounds in the third quarter of 2016, down to 5.13 billion British Pounds in the first quarter of 2022. The monthly average revenue per user follows a similar pattern, standing at approximately 37.3 British pounds in the first quarter of the financial year 2022/2023.When it comes to BT's lines of business, BT’s consumer segment yields the highest revenue share, with Openreach and Enterprise trailing behind, respectively. BT is not the only telecommunications provider to see a decline in average revenue figures, due to the falling prices of telecommunications services for consumers and general structural shifts within the business such as moves to cheaper mobile communications.
BT: a powerful force in the market
BT holds the highest market share of fixed broadband in the UK with a total of 33.6 percent of all fixed broadband subscribers in 2021. Since 2007, BT has managed to increase its market share by nearly seven percent. It also stands out by being the most used internet provider in the UK with a user share of 22 percent.In terms of fixed-line call volumes, BT also leads the way with around 15.8 billion call minutes in 2021, with its closest competition at 4.5 billion minutes. Overall, however, fixed-line call volumes have decreased with the rise of messaging and call services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. This decline continued after a brief increase in 2020, possibly due to an increase in people conducting business from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Positioning for the 5G future through EE Limited
BT Group acquired EE Limited (EE) in January 2016, the top mobile network provider in 2022 and BT’s main avenue through which to develop 5G services. EE Mobile Limited now forms part of the BT Group, providing customers with mobile, pay TV, and internet services including 5G. EE has been one of the major investors in the 5G roll-out. In the 2021 5G spectrum auctions, EE spent 284 million British pounds acquiring licenses to operate in the 700 MHz frequency range and 168 million British pounds for the 3.6 GHz range, establishing this necessary first step to develop a firm foothold in the rapidly expanding 5G market.
