BT Group followed rival Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) in teaming with Starlink to bring satellite connectivity to its customers in the UK, a deal announced alongside the release of its latest financial results.

The operator stated the landmark agreement with Elon Musk’s Starlink would ensure satellite connectivity for BT and EE consumer broadband customers, complementing fibre and mobile networks.

It will specifically target customers in rural and remote areas where traditional infrastructure is economically unviable or geographically challenging to build.

Services are set to be available in the latter half of 2026. VMO2 said at the end of October it had signed up Starlink to deliver direct-to-device satellite services, with plans to launch in the first half of next year.

BT CEO Allison Kirkby said the agreement with Starlink “is a giant leap for rural connectivity”.

Revenue dip
In its fiscal H1 2025 (ending September), BT reported a 3 per cent year-on-year dip in revenue to £9.8 billion, put down to declines in legacy voice, lower mobile handset trading volumes and declines from its International business.

Pre-tax profit was also down, declining 11 per cent to £862 million, while net debt increased 3 per cent to £20.9 billion.

There was however cause for cheer from its Openreach division, with the company connecting 1.1 million homes to its fibre network in the six-month period, giving it a fibre-to-the premise footprint of 20.3 million.

Kirkby said the operator’s transformation was delivering ahead of plan, with its UK focus and modernisation efforts helping “to offset declines from our International and legacy business and higher labour-related costs”.