BT and Atos join forces on new Digital Vision offering as part of multi-million pound partnership

• BT partners with Atos to create Digital Vision, offering Computer Vision to their combined customer base
• The joint proposition will provide customers with a powerful AI-based analytics tool to extract value from their digital images and videos

As part of a multi-million pound partnership, BT and Atos today launch Digital Vision — a new computer vision solution that will help revolutionise industries, including manufacturing and logistics among others.

Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers and systems to interpret information from digital images, videos and other visual feeds (including live video streams from a fixed camera or a moving drone) and take automated actions or make recommendations based on the information.

It will combine BT’s leading digital connectivity with Atos’s Computer Vision Platform, a scalable end-to-end solution, providing pre-trained & customizable AI models developed by more than 300 computer vision experts in labs around the world.​

AI video and image analysis is used industry-wide in applications such as transport safety and traffic monitoring, quality control in manufacturing, and location tracking. The joint BT-Atos solution will improve security and monitoring for customers by enabling effective, real-time use of video and image data.

Digital Vision will use BT’s 5G/FTTx multi-access connectivity and edge computing. This ensures business customers receive a scalable, ready-to-deploy service with round-the-clock support and expertise.

The partnership comes after BT recently announced it was investing almost £100 million over the next three years in its ‘Division X’ unit to accelerate the development of customer solutions which integrate emerging technologies like 5G, IoT, Edge Compute, Cloud and AI.

Marc Overton, Managing Director for Division X, part of BT’s Enterprise unit, said: “This partnership with Atos gives us access to the Computer Vision market for the first time, providing us the opportunity to play an even bigger role in the digital transformation of businesses around the world.

“Working together, we have been able to combine our skillsets to create an innovative platform that provides a host of potential use cases for facilities such as smart ports and transport hubs, to retail and fuel forecourts, to manufacturers. Utilising cutting edge technologies such as 5G, AI and edge computing, this new platform is linked to our wide partnership with Atos and we see huge potential for growth in this space over the next few years. 

“Not only will businesses be able to better leverage their video stream data, improve their operational efficiency and enhance their monitoring, but they will also be able to mitigate risk, increase revenue through data monetisation, unlock new applications and open new channels to market.”

Jean-Claude Geha, Global Head of Telecom, Media & Technology at Atos commented: “As our clients are going through their digital transformation, they need the right and best digital services to accelerate the next step of their journey. As a global leader in digital transformation, Atos plays an essential role in co-developing innovative use cases with CSP (Communications Services Provider) for real-time businesses, thanks to its extensive knowledge of Edge and AI technologies and its deep expertise in system integration. We are excited to work, once again, with BT to unlock new capabilities for the Enterprise market where BT is seeking to offer much needed Vertical Digital use cases to increase efficiency, boost productivity, and to improve business opportunities and customer experience.”

BT and Atos have a long-standing relationship with a major outsourcing agreement signed in 2013 and extended in March 2022 until 2026. BT provides Atos with network and communication services to connect its own operations as well as network infrastructure and service to support its customers. Earlier this year, the companies expanded their relationship to co-develop solutions with a focus on sustainability that will combine BT’s capabilities in secure connectivity and infrastructure, including private 5G and edge computing, with Atos’ digital expertise in sectors such as manufacturing.