New BT Group hub for 1,000 people opens in Cardiff

BT Group has opened its new hub and Welsh HQ in Cardiff for 1,000 colleagues.

The move represents a multi-million pound investment by BT Group in the city, and secures a new, significant presence for the company in the Welsh capital. 

The new workspace and contact centre – located in the Capital Quarter development of the city centre – will become a hub for colleagues from across BT Group, including EE, BT Business and Openreach. 

Teams have been moving into the new workspace from other BT Group buildings in the city and wider region. 

The new Cardiff HQ is part of BT Group’s major programme* to modernise the company’s workspaces and reduce its number of locations in the UK from more than 300, to around 30. 

The workspace has been fitted with the latest smart building technology, flexible workspaces and collaboration areas. It also features a 6th floor roof terrace, café, underground cycle parking and shower and changing facilities. 

Brent Mathews, BT Group’s director of property, said: “We’re really pleased to open our exciting new workspace in the centre of Cardiff. Despite the economic challenges, and changes to working patterns caused by the pandemic, we think this is an important investment and it secures our presence in the capital of Wales and the wider region. 

“It will bring our people together in an impressive and modern environment that will help us work better together, and attract and retain the best people. Our new workspaces have a real focus on colleague wellbeing.  

“We still see an important role for the office, where colleagues can come together to connect, learn and develop their skills. This is particularly important for younger people and those at the start of their careers.” 

BT Group remains one of Wales’s leading private sector employers – employing around 4,000 people – and has a considerable impact on the Welsh economy. According to an independent study, the Group’s activities in Wales contribute around £700 million a year to the Welsh economy and support more than 8,000 jobs across the nation. 

BT Group is also investing heavily in new ultrafast full-fibre broadband and mobile networks across Wales. Openreach revealed recently that half of all Welsh properties (more than 800,000) can now access ultrafast broadband thanks to the investment in a new, full fibre digital network. 

In terms of mobile networks, EE has continued to upgrade its 4G and 5G networks across Wales. EE’s 4G network now covers more than 85% of Wales’s geography, more than any other provider. It has continued to expand 4G in rural Wales, with 200 rural locations in Wales being upgraded by June 2024 as part of the Shared Rural Network. 

Notes 

BT Group’s Better Workplace Programme is one of the largest workplace improvement and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The five-year programme, which will be completed this year, will see the company shift from having around 300 locations in the UK to around 30, with a focus on creating new, modern workspaces. The company has already opened new flagship offices in London, Birmingham and Bristol, refurbished offices in Glasgow and Belfast, and a new regional hub is opening later this year in Manchester. 

BT Group is the UK’s leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services. We also provide managed telecommunications, security and network & IT infrastructure services to customers across 180 countries.

BT Group consists of three customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Business covers companies and public services in the UK and internationally; Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary wholesaling fixed access infrastructure services to its customers - over 650 communications providers across the UK.

British Telecommunications plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/about