[thegeek]

newsroom.bt.com 

BT Group announces sale of BT Tower to MCR Hotels
BT Group has agreed to the sale of the BT Tower for £275m to MCR Hotels, who pla…
  Source: newsroom.bt.com

I'm enjoying the irony of the developer being called MCR.

As the press release notes, Tower is home to Media and Broadcast, their switching centre and Outside Broadcast room. They still occasionally use the top floor (above the hospitality floors) as an ad hoc RF receive point, but presumably most of the fibre routes go via the Museum telephone exchange next door, so won't need moving too far.

[simpfeld]

A shame but I guess it was inevitable sooner or later.

Don't see a timeline for when this is due to happen by.

[i.h]

though it may intersect with Openreach's exchange closure plans, whereby they want to shrink down from 5500 ish exchanges down to around 1000. Rural exchanges probably make up most of that number but I'd expect the numbers are being crunched for the most expensive locations too.

www.openreach.co.uk 

Exchange Exit
Exchange Exit Programme
  Source: www.openreach.co.uk

[Bluecortina]

I was walking past and underneath it only last Saturday night and thought to myself what a lovely looking 'thing' it was, pity they didn't install fibre-glass lookalike microwave horns. Still, nice to know its future is assured in some form.

[simpfeld]

I'm surprised that this would be suitable as a hotel due to fire regulations.

[Stooky Bill]

I'm surprised that this would be suitable as a hotel due to fire regulations.

When it was built it was the only building that was allowed to be evacuated by lift, I assume they must have extra protection.

Apparently as it stands it's only licensed for occupancy of 90 people, which is why they've never repurposed the tower as offices, not that the floors are that big.


Everything that goes on at BT Tower is done from the building under the tower, I haven't sent if that's part of the sell off or if that will be moved elsewhere.... it would be a heck of a job to relocate all that connectivity

[simpfeld]

When it was built it was the only building that was allowed to be evacuated by lift, I assume they must have extra protection.

Apparently as it stands it's only licensed for occupancy of 90 people, which is why they've never repurposed the tower as offices, not that the floors are that big.


Everything that goes on at BT Tower is done from the building under the tower, I haven't sent if that's part of the sell off or if that will be moved elsewhere.... it would be a heck of a job to relocate all that connectivity

The register has an interesting paragraph on this:
www.theregister.com 

London’s famous BT Tower sold to hoteliers for £275M • The Register
Hello room service? Can you call your provider? The Wi-Fi is down. Hello?
  Source: www.theregister.com

"The BT Tower was also an important site for BT Group's Media & Broadcast business, as a global interchange point for live television. The company said the Media & Broadcast division has already started migrating services to its cloud-based platform, making the move to more modern premises easier."

I'd have still thought a heck of a large amount of work, also we don't know if the Museum Exchange is part of this.

[Technologist]

That’s why it’s taking 6 years to move out …..
But with more Vena IP it’s a lot easier that analogue coax !
It there a lot of SDI …..

[simpfeld]

That’s why it’s taking 6 years to move out …..
But with more Vena IP it’s a lot easier that analogue coax !
It there a lot of SDI …..

I guess with Vena when they say cloud, it's BT data centres and not Amazon/Google/MS?
Where are the Vena DC's, I think there are only 2 of these?

[Neil Jones]

Can't remember where I read this but because the tower was instrumental in TV transmission back in the day (it probably still is) is it true its actual physical location was effectively a state secret?