BT teams up with AWS in IoT and 5G push

5G services in india
(Image credit: YouTube)

BT Group’s Digital Unit and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a new collaboration agreement that will see the two work on Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G projects. 

In a press release, BT said the agreement between the two companies opens up an opportunity for $500 million in revenue over the next five years.

The two companies will work to advance BT’s existing IoT services (which are already built on AWS), and create new ones that combine AWS services with BT’s network and service delivery expertise. These services, the company says, will “solve problems across a variety of industries,” without detailing which problems those are, or which industries they hope to tap into.

AWS Marketplace Channel Partner

IoT problems aside, the agreement will also see BT become an AWS Marketplace Channel Partner, allowing the company to offer additional enhanced managed security and third-party Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions, to customers globally. For those customers, BT claims, purchasing via AWS Marketplace will be simpler, allowing them to retire their annual spend commitments and make use of available AWS program incentives. 

“AWS and BT Group have shared ambitions at the intersection of cloud and connectivity, and we’re delighted that we have this partnership to frame how we will work together to accelerate these outcomes, for our customers and for the Group,” explains Thomas Duecke, Chief Operating Officer, Digital, at BT Group.

“Moving from a connectivity provider to a digital services provider is a strategic shift to help communication service providers unlock growth,” said Adolfo Hernandez, Vice President and General Manager, Telecom Global Industry Business Unit, AWS. “This new agreement with AWS helps BT accelerate that journey and deliver greater value to its customers.”

BT’s business customers in the UK will also get new 5G edge computing services, powered by AWS Wavelength, the report further claims. 

AWS Wavelength is Amazon Web Service’s 5G edge computing infrastructure solution, bringing in AWS compute and storage services to wireless networks. That way, businesses get mobile edge computing infrastructure for ultra-low-latency applications.

BT hopes that this agreement will help it tap into a wide spectrum of “connectivity and digital solutions and services” both in the UK and worldwide, bringing in more than $500 million in revenue over the next five years.

Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.