© British Telecommunications plc

1

BT Network Teach-in Howard Watson, MD Architecture and Global IT Platforms

BT Group plc

5 March 2013

© British Telecommunications plc

2

BT Chief Architect role

Part of BT Technology, Service & Operations (TSO)

Pan-BT accountability for technology and process

Focused on technology of all IT platforms, networks and

infrastructure

Regularly upgrade IT Platforms with major releases

several times each year

Own all technical delivery for BT’s TV business

© British Telecommunications plc

3

BT Technology, Service & Operations

TSO – a simpler, more end-to-end structure

CIO,

BT GS

CIO,

BT Retail

CIO,

BT Wholesale

CIO,

BT Group

CIO,

Openreach

IT end-to-end

End-to-end service

Research and Innovation

Network end-to-end

Infrastructure end-to-end

© British Telecommunications plc

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BT Technology, Service & Operations

Simpler for our people so we can deliver better for our

customers

Simplifying our

organisation

Removing

boundaries

Allowing a

view of the

whole lifecycle

Simplifying our

processes

Removing

complexity

Speeding up

delivery

Simplifying our

legacy

Networks

IT platforms

Simplicity to

deliver clarity

Clarity of

accountability

Clarity to

speed up

decision

making

© British Telecommunications plc

5

BT’s UK Network structure

Broadband network structured around regulatory

interfaces

Highly resilient and scalable dual-vendor core

Legacy networks still in place (PSTN, 20C data, ATM)

Opportunity to change broadband architecture over next

few years

© British Telecommunications plc

6

Openreach

Copper Access

Cab

Infinity / FTTC

Home

Fibre Access

20C Broadband

Home

21C Broadband

Home

S

A

N

Infinity / FTTP

Home

BT’s UK Network structure

D

S

L

A

M

Significant investment in fibre and

broadband in recent years

– fibre to more than 13m premises

– WBC (ADSL2+) to more than 90% of UK

Further significant investment in access

layer to reach 2/3 premises with fibre during

spring 2014

– potential to reach >90% in 2017

30000+

© British Telecommunications plc

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Openreach

Copper Access

Cab

Infinity / FTTC

Home

20C Broadband

Home

21C Broadband

Home 30000+

S

A

N

Infinity / FTTP

Home

BT’s UK Network structure

D

S

L

A

M

Backhaul/ Core

21C Converged Core

X

10

LTV

Head

End

20

20

1200

6000+

WCC

B

R

A

S

M

S

A

N

20C Backhaul

21C core scaled for

broadband and

Ethernet growth

Enhanced by the

addition of content

caches (WCC) and

IP Multicast

Programme in place

to replace 20C

Backhaul (ATM)

Opportunity to re-

architect 21C core

Content

Providers Content

Providers Content

Providers

Fibre Access

D

S

L

A

M

B

R

A

S

© British Telecommunications plc

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BT’s UK Network structure (as drawn on flip chart)

106 Metro nodes

c.5,500 total exchange buildings

c.1,200 ‘super’ exchanges

20 POSI nodes

LLU operators

connect at this

level

Wholesale operators

connect at this level

Retail Aggregation Nodes (RAN)

Point Of Service

Interconnect nodes at 20

locations around the UK

Main aggregation nodes

within 21C network

c.1,200 Ethernet enabled

exchanges and c.1,200

Openreach Head Ends for

delivering multicast TV

Over time

aggregation and

content caching

will move closer to

the customer

(from POSI node to

‘super’ exchanges)

FTTC operators

connect at this level

© British Telecommunications plc

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Openreach

Copper Access

Cab

Infinity / FTTC

Home

20C Broadband

Home

21C Broadband

Home 30000+

S

A

N

Infinity / FTTP

Home

BT’s UK Network structure

D

S

L

A

M

Backhaul/ Core

21C Converged Core

X

10

LTV

Head

End

20

20

1200

6000+

WCC

B

R

A

S

M

S

A

N

20C Backhaul

Content

Providers Content

Providers Content

Providers

Fibre Access

D

S

L

A

M

B

R

A

S

Retail

VOSP

Origin

Server

Nagra

Head End

EPG /

Content

Store

RAN

RET

Server(s)

Internet

YouView

Intertrust

Head End

RTMAN/RAN

Network

4

© British Telecommunications plc

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BT TV multicast network

Nagra

Head End

LTV

Head End

Soft launched in January 2013

End-to-end delivery of linear TV

2 Head Ends

X X

Cab

D

S

L

A

M

1,200 Layer 2

switches

30,000+

cabinets

BT Infinity

homes

© British Telecommunications plc

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BT TV multicast network

Currently 18 SD plus 4 HD channels

– 150 Mbps to each fibre cabinet to deliver channels

Enhancing the proposition later this year

– upgrading to 500 Mbps to each fibre cabinet to deliver additional

channels

© British Telecommunications plc

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BT TV multicast network

Multicast on YouView requires a different encryption than

delivery on legacy Vision platform

Simulcrypt allows BT to transmit channels once but

encrypt with two keys

– avoids cost of retransmitting channels twice

© British Telecommunications plc

13

IT Platforms summary

Matrix portfolio architecture used

– applications aligned into functional platforms

– functionality grouped into stacks for each customer-facing

unit

Mixed use of off-the-shelf products (e.g. Oracle) and in-

house

Opportunity for further improvements

– simplify application estate

– reduce number of UK data centres

– significant virtualisation opportunity

© British Telecommunications plc

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IT Platforms new architecture

© British Telecommunications plc

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Summary

End-to-end structure allows TSO to improve customer

delivery

Significant network investment has driven improvements

with more to come

Robust linear TV delivery network in place

Opportunity for further IT platform improvements

© British Telecommunications plc

16

Q&A

BT Group plc

16

© British Telecommunications plc

17

Appendix glossary

BRAS Broadband Remote Access Server - routes traffic to and from broadband remote access devices

C2M Concept to Market – the process of creating and delivering new or improved products or processes

DSLAM Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer - a network device, often located in a telephone

exchange or cabinet which connects multiple customer digital subscriber line (DSL) interfaces to a

high-speed digital communications channel using multiplexing techniques

Head End The originating point in a communications system. In TV delivery, the head end is where the

programming originates in the network

ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library – a set of practices for IT service management

adopted by many thousands of organisations

L2C Lead to Cash – a set of business processes that begin with a lead and end with the company

receiving cash

LTV Linear Television – channels delivered via IP Multicast

MSAN Multi-Service Access Node - a device typically installed in a telephone exchange or street cabinet

which connects customers' telephone lines to the core network, to provide telephone, ISDN, and

broadband all from a single platform

MTB Manage The Business – the set of applications used to run the business (e.g. HR and finance

systems)

© British Telecommunications plc

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Appendix glossary

RET Server Retransmission server – used with IP Multicast services to increase quality of delivery by supplying

lost packets on request

RTMAN Retail Traffic Management Node - used to stream the upstream and downstream broadband traffic

through the traffic management equipment to manage the service for the customer

RAN Retail Access Node – the Points of Service Interconnect between the BT Wholesale and BT Retail

networks

SE Service Execution – specific IT applications associated with service delivery to customers (e.g.

voice and TV IT applications)

T2R Trouble to Resolve – process that begins when a customer has told us they are not happy with

either our product or service and ends when that problem has been resolved to the customer’s

satisfaction

UKMN BT UK Media Network - provides live-to-air quality real-time video connectivity between television,

film and other content producers, and broadcasters

WCC Wholesale Content Connect – BT Wholesale product that delivers on demand content efficiently by

caching content deep in the broadband network