BT has teamed up with Starlink, a satellite company linked to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to improve ultra fast broadband connectivity in rural and remote areas.
The collaboration – a first in the UK and one of the first globally – will benefit those areas where traditional fixed-line infrastructure is economically unviable or geographically challenging to build.
Starlink, which is engineered and operated by SpaceX, is quick to deploy and capable of delivering download speeds of up to 280 Mbps.
BT says the agreement marks a significant milestone in making high-speed internet connectivity through the technology available to customers in the latter half of 2026.
The announcement came as BT said pre-tax profit for the six months to 30 September fell 11% to £862 million from £967m last year.
Reported and adjusted revenue came in 3% lower at £9.8bn because of declining landline business, lower mobile handset trading volumes and declines in International. This was partially offset by an improving FTTP mix in Openreach.
However, the company reported a decline of 242,000 Openreach broadband customers during the second quarter of 2025.
It is ahead of its five-year £3bn cost reduction programme, with £247m in gross annualised cost savings during the first half and a cumulative total of £1.2bn in the first 18 months. This has seen a 5,000 fall in employees, from 116,000 to 111,000 since the financial year began.
The board increased the interim dividend by 2% to 2.45 pence per share from 2p.
The integration of Starlink’s satellite technology into its networks offering coincides withj its Openreach division recently surpassing the 20m premises milestone as part of its nationwide full fibre upgrade programme. It is on track to reach 25m premises by the end of next year and with an ambition to reach 30m by 2030.
Allison Kirkby, chief executive, BT Group, said: “This landmark agreement with Starlink is a giant leap for rural connectivity – allowing us to get fast and reliable in-home connectivity to our customers in some of the UK’s most rural and isolated areas and to bridge the digital divide better than ever.”
Chad Gibbs, VP of business operations at SpaceX, said: “On behalf of Starlink, we’re excited to team up with BT Group and bring high-speed internet to more people across the UK. Their local presence will help us reach those communities which have historically faced challenges with reliable connectivity.”
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