UK telecom giant BT Group is exploring opportunities in Edge computing by repurposing parts of its tower and telephone exchange infrastructure. In a recent interview with TelcoTitans, David McKean, Director of BT’s tower division, revealed that the company is assessing how its extensive network of sites could serve enterprise and government clients while supporting its Edge ambitions.
BT is considering adapting some of its thousands of telecom towers and up to 1,000 telephone exchanges it will retain after decommissioning the legacy copper network. McKean noted that the team is examining “whether we can repurpose some of those enduring exchanges for data center use.”
Currently, BT’s subsidiary Openreach manages around 5,600 exchanges across the UK—most of which support copper and legacy services. Only about 1,000 exchanges, called Openreach Handover Points (OHPs), are used for its newer fiber services. As part of a broader modernization plan, Openreach aims to close 103 legacy exchanges by 2030, beginning with a pilot involving five sites. Discussions are ongoing with major telecom players—including BT, Sky, and Vodafone—regarding the closure of approximately 4,600 remaining legacy exchanges throughout the 2030s.
BT also owns over 200 radio masts and towers in the UK, including iconic structures like the BT Tower in London, which is currently being sold for conversion into a hotel. Across Europe and beyond, several operators—including Cellnex, Digita, CRA, and HKBN—have already deployed data centers at TV and radio tower sites, setting a potential precedent for BT’s move.
The scale of BT’s mobile tower infrastructure, primarily used by its EE unit, remains unclear. However, the company recently retired technology at over 18,000 mobile sites as part of EE’s 3G switch-off and is actively expanding its 4G and 5G footprint. Cell tower-based Edge data centers are becoming increasingly common, with companies like American Tower, Cellnex, and SBA Communications leading the way.
Repurposing telephone exchanges for colocation and Edge data center use is also a growing trend globally. Analysts at STL Partners predict the number of “Network Edge” data centers will more than double, from 800 today to around 1,800 by 2028.
US carriers are making similar moves. Verizon is exploring how its legacy infrastructure can support AI workloads, while Frontier—soon to be acquired by Verizon—already offers Edge colocation at 2,500 sites, including many of its Central Offices. Brightspeed, spun off from Lumen, is also offering colocation services from its legacy locations across the Midwest and Southeast US.
BT’s exploration into Edge computing aligns with a broader global trend: transforming legacy infrastructure into next-generation digital hubs to support low-latency, high-performance applications for enterprise, consumer, and AI workloads.
