Copyright dailystar
BT says it is haemorrhaging broadband customers to competitors as the market becomes increasingly "competitive", whilst confirming another 5,000 job cuts as part of its sweeping cost-reduction drive. The telecommunications behemoth revealed its Openreach broadband customer base plummeted by 242,000 during the second quarter of 2025. The company blamed rival firms and a sluggish broadband sector for the exodus, according to statements made to investors. Meanwhile, BT has been charging forward with an ambitious transformation strategy focused on slashing expenses and concentrating efforts on its domestic market alongside emerging business sectors. The firm disclosed its workforce shrank by 6% during the first half of the year, dropping to 111,000 employees, reports Bristol Live . This represents a decrease of approximately 5,000 positions from the 116,000 staff at the beginning of the financial year. These redundancies contribute to nearly £250 million in annual cost reductions achieved during this period, pushing total savings to £1.2 billion across the initial 18 months of the efficiency programme. The company aims to achieve £3 billion in yearly savings overall. Group turnover dropped by 3% to £9.8 billion for the six months ending September 30, compared with the previous year. This decline stemmed from falling revenues in its traditional landline operations alongside a weakened mobile market, as consumers increasingly retain their existing handsets for longer periods. Pre-tax profits tumbled by 11% year-on-year to £862 million. Chief executive Allison Kirkby said: "BT is delivering on its strategy in competitive markets. Since the start of the year, we've driven customer growth across consumer broadband, mobile and TV and we're stabilising our UK-focused business division. Outside the UK, we've completed strategic exits and we're reshaping our international unit. "BT's transformation is delivering ahead of plan, as our UK focus and radical simplification and modernisation are helping to offset declines from our international and legacy businesses and higher labour-related costs since the start of this tax year."
