The way we do business is changing. Ten years ago, I couldn’t have predicted the transformations in how we work today. With the growing influence of tools such as AI, the next decade promises even greater change. So it’s crucial for businesses to act now if they are to prepare for a future they haven’t yet imagined.
The benefits of modern tech are all about improving business output and efficiency, but this can’t happen without the right network infrastructure in place. It’s the key to being ready to adopt AI and other new technology. That means we need to invest in the networks of the future, from fibre to 5G, while providing the support organisations need to future-proof their services.
Essential investments
Many businesses miss out on opportunities by prioritising short-term challenges and delaying crucial modernisation investments. Our research suggests that technology-related anxiety among business leaders could cost the UK economy £11.8 billion by 2030.
But these investments are essential for organisations to effectively prepare for the future as technology changes ways of working, business needs and expectations.
BT is no different. I’m committed to driving our own modernisation to better serve our customers. Alongside investments into expanding fibre and 5G, we are simplifying our portfolio and introducing new interfaces to make it easier to work with us. And our designers are working evermore closely with customers to create the future-facing products and services they really need.
We are also making strides in helping businesses to modernise by switching hundreds of thousands of companies to digital services from analogue technology. This is not just about providing faster speeds and lower latency but paving the way for businesses to grow. The government has also emphasised just how crucial tech adoption is for the UK’s growth. It’s expected to play a major role in the modern industrial strategy and was at the heart of plans to position the country as a global leader in AI.
The ageing copper landline network and older mobile connectivity are no longer able to deliver what business expects from digital communications. At the same time, customers tell me they need to find ways to make their operations more secure and more sustainable.
Newer infrastructure will help on all fronts. Security is inbuilt to all new networks from the outset and moving customers to digital landlines is expected to reduce the UK’s energy consumption by 90GWh by the end of 2025. Closing our 3G network has already saved enough energy to charge almost 1 billion smartphones.
Solid connectivity
We don’t yet know what the next great tech innovation will be, just as we couldn’t have predicted the rapid rise of AI over the last few years. What we do know is that each business is different and when they come to us it is with a specific challenge or opportunity in mind.
But whether it’s adopting AI, a 5G private network needed to connect a sprawling port, running a suite of low-powered smart sensors or connecting a school with the latest tech, all are built on the foundations of solid connectivity.
The world is changing, and businesses need to change too, or they risk being left behind. The next 10 years will see work practices and processes evolve in ways we cannot yet envisage. Modernising today is the only way to be ready for tomorrow.
This opinion piece was included in our April 2025 print issue. You can read the magazine in full here.