BT posts growth in mobile customer bases as 5G+ rollout accelerates

BT Group has reported acontinued growth in postpaid connections, rising 5G adoption and expanding fixed–mobile convergence although competitive pricing weighed on service revenues and ARPU. 

For the half-year to 30 September 2025, with the operator’s Consumer division grew its postpaid mobile base to 13.9 million customers, adding 61,000 net additions during the period. Churn remained low at one per cent, reflecting strong retention performance. However, postpaid mobile ARPU fell 1.6 per cent year-on-year to £19.3, a decline BT attributed to competitive market pricing and ongoing legacy voice decline .

5G adoption continued to scale. BT’s retail 5G customer base reached 11.2 million customers, up seven per cent year-on-year, while 5G across the UK population footprint now covers 89 per cent. Standalone “5G+” network has already hit  66 per cent population coverage, with BT targeting 99 per cent by the end of FY30 .

BT’s Business unit’s 5G base grew 33 per cent year-on-year to 2.8 million, and BT continued simplifying its portfolio as part of a wider cost-transformation programme .

Group-wide cost reduction remains a central theme. BT delivered £247 million in annualised gross cost savings in H1, bringing the total to £1.2 billion over eighteen months. Total labour resource fell six per cent to 111,000, with further reductions planned as PSTN retirement approaches in January 2027 .

Chief executive Allison Kirkby said BT is “delivering on its strategy in competitive markets”, highlighting mobile growth as part of a broader UK-focused simplification strategy .