BT has won a five-year contract with the British Army to deliver a managed Wi-Fi service across 162 new UK army sites, with a view to establish future ‘smart bases’. It is already working to establish a ‘smart base’ at the British Army base in Larkhill, in Wiltshire in southwest England, with fibre broadband and private 5G. The deal, described as a “multi-million pound” affair, has the potential to expand the contract to other defence customers, including the RAF and Royal Navy, said BT.
The delivery of a managed private Wi-Fi service across 162 army bases, presented as MOD Wi-Fi, expands on a long-running partnership, which already covers 200 Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites in the UK, Cyprus, and Germany. The new deal has been signed with BT Business, formed at the start of the year out of the combination of BT’s former enterprise and global sales divisions; the Wi-Fi infrastructure, plus future private 5G deployments, will be managed by BT’s defence team over the term of the five-year contract at least.
BT’s defence team has handled the MoD’s “Wi-Fi network requirements” for over a decade. The company has close ties with the army, it noted; it is one of the UK’s largest employers of both serving reservists and former Armed Forces personnel – “with thousands of ex-military colleagues working across its business”. Marc Overton, former boss of BT’s Division X unit, since folded into its Business division, and reservist brigadier and assistant chief of defence staff, was appointed to the non-exec board of the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) procurement division in May.
The announcement majored on network security, as well as network performance and availability. A statement said: “[The project] will deliver a huge digital infrastructure boost, with a managed firewall built-in for enhanced security. Soldiers, who may currently struggle to receive connectivity in remote base locations, will now benefit from enhanced contact with loved ones and ability to relax during their down-time through access to digital platforms thanks to free, fast and reliable internet.”
The work will see BT deliver Wi-Fi for all buildings – “offices, hangars, training facilities, technical accommodation and workshops”, plus “recreation spaces, messes, sports, and dining facilities”. The smart bases rollout starts over the next 12 months, it said, and is intended to “improve the digital experience for military personnel”, as well as site security (“intelligent building entry systems”), plus “efficient energy consumption” to support the army’s own net zero ambitions. The existing Larkhill smart base, equipped with private 5G, incorporates “cameras and sensors, facial recognition, smart building entry and management, [and] digital signage”
Ed Stainton, director of major government at BT, said: “The opportunities and threats posed by digital technology mean the Army needs the most reliable and secure networks possible – and we’re proud to be a trusted partner that can deliver for them. This new managed Wi-Fi service from BT will provide important connectivity across areas of training, business and welfare. Crucially, the contract will also lay the foundation for Front-Line Commands to introduce smarter ways of working, unlocking the benefits of new technologies on MOD Wi-Fi that will provide efficiencies, enhance productivity and increase security.”
Major General John Collyer, information director with the British Army, said: “This is another critical delivery under the ambitious British Army Digital Transformation Initiative – Programme THEIA. We are thrilled to partner with BT for the Army Estate Wide Internet work – which will deliver ubiquitous internet access across our estate – for business use, research, leisure, gaming, innovation, trials and more. Another leap forward, and I thank the staff of BT and in Army HQ for their Herculean work getting us to this stage. It will make a huge difference for our people and our outputs.”
