Year: 2019

JT’s full-fibre network – which means that the people in the Channel Islands now enjoy internet speeds that are among the fastest in the world – has won its greatest accolade yet: being presented with ‘The Best Network Transformation Award’ at the top international communications awards.

The judges particularly praised the speed at which every broadband user in Jersey had been directly connected to fibre broadband – quicker than it has been done anywhere else in the world – and at no cost to users. That achievement has elevated Jersey to first place in the world in terms of the percentage of fibre-to-the-home customers.

The British island now ranks third in the world for average broadband speed, according to the annual 2019 world speeds report from research firm M-Lab and Cable.co.uk. The report noted a 118.32% increase in broadband speed in the island compared to the previous year.

The judges also hailed the social-inclusivity of the network, opening the door to new digital possibilities for every Islander, and providing the capacity for the Island’s business community to continue to expand and flourish.

Graeme Millar, CEO of JT, said “The Gigabit Project involved laying over 3,000 km of individual fibre-optic cable to over 45,000 homes and businesses providing access, (regardless of means) to the whole island. This has transformed businesses and created new revenue streams, catching the interest of multi-national companies to relocate projects to Jersey. This means there are new jobs and training opportunities in exciting roles, including Fintech, Medtech, e-gaming and cloud-computing, all bringing further diversity to Jersey’s economy.

“Outside the business world, full fibre has paved the way for many community projects, not least in education where students are benefiting from new ways of learning. Householders are also embracing the opportunity to go ‘smart’. Homes in Jersey now have an average of 23 devices directly connected to the internet.”

Over 550 telecom companies, representing over 35 countries, took part in World Communications Awards 2019, which took place in the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, in London, on Wednesday 30 October 2019.

Other businesses shortlisted in the Best Network Transformation category included TalkTalk Business, Altice Portugal and Saudi Telecom Company.

Jersey’s Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, recently met some of JT’s key North American customers at a reception in New York, hosted by Graeme Millar, JT’s CEO.

Although JT’s roots are firmly in the Channel Islands, today 70% of the company’s business is outside its home market, a proportion which is growing each year. JT employs over 600 people in seven offices around the world, serving over 6 million subscribers globally, with its largest International market being North America.

The JT reception took place during Senator Gorst’s visit to the United States, to open Jersey Finance’s New York office. The Minister also visited Washington DC this week, to attend meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The Minister and his team met CEO and Senior Executives from JT’s North American customers that had come from California, Chicago and New England to attend the event.

Senator Gorst said: “It is very important that Jersey fully supports the expansion of island businesses beyond our own shores. At home, JT is well-known for delivering the world’s first countrywide full-fiber network that currently delivers the 3rd fastest Broadband speeds in the world. Beyond local shores, JT is also an example of a company that is successfully developing innovative services that allow it to compete internationally. It was a real pleasure for me to see this first-hand and meet JT’s North American customers and the senior JT team in the United States that is helping to promote Jersey on the world stage.”

JT’s vision to bring world-class connectivity to everyone in Jersey has earned the Island’s full-fibre network a shortlisting in the ‘Biggest Broadband Social Impact’ category at the prestigious Broadband World Forum Awards 2019.

Since completion in late 2018, JT’s project, which established a world first by committing to provide a full-fibre network to all Jersey premises, has opened the door to digital innovation across the Island. From transformations in education, to smart technology in farming and has generated new revenue streams for financial services.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture,
Senator Lyndon Farnham said: “Jersey’s success and growth as an international digital centre of excellence is thanks in no small part to the capability and reliability of our full-fibre network. However, its reach goes well beyond the immediate economic benefits to the Island and includes all areas of social importance to Jersey. We look forward to making full use of this valuable asset for all walks of island life.”

Graeme Millar, JT’s CEO, said: “Our objective was to open the door to digital possibilities for every Islander and every local business, providing the connectivity to flourish and make world-wide connections. I am incredibly proud of JT’s teams whose expertise and commitment made this possible. The accessibility and world-class broadband speeds now enjoyed by everyone in Jersey is a testament to their hard work and the patience of our customers, as we delivered the largest infrastructure project the island has ever seen.”

The global Broadband World Forum Awards is the communications’ industry’s biggest and most prestigious recognition of excellence with the shortlist including many leading household names. The conference, exhibition and awards which make up the forum are taking place in Amsterdam on 15 – 17 October.

After an impressive six-week internship, Elizabeth College student, Kieran Aslett, has been awarded a bursary by his JT mentors. This helping hand towards his study costs is in recognition of his genuine interest in digital technology and the bright future that lies ahead of him.

Kieran joined JT having applied successfully for the Digital Greenhouse Discover Digital Summer Internship which JT has supported for the past three years. He spent six weeks working with a number of the company’s departments.

Andy Holmes, JT’s Talent Program Manager said: “As a business we believe it is really important for us to play a part in nurturing young talent. Committed and interested young people like Kieran represent the future of digital technology and we are privileged to have had the opportunity to share our knowledge with him and are really pleased that we can contribute to resources which will help him take those first steps in his career.”

JT offers several bursaries each year to young people in the Channel Islands in areas of study including science, technology, engineering, maths and some business disciplines and over the last five years has financially supported 32 young people across Guernsey and Jersey.  During the summer months of 2019, 15 bursary students have benefitted from fully paid work within various departments across the company and, to date, four students have returned to work with JT on a permanent basis. 40% of our local students supported by our JT’s bursaries over the past 5 years have returned to the islands to live and work in the technology sector.

Kieran said that the internship gave him a good insight into the collaborative working between departments. “It was surprising to me how much interaction there was between departments like sales and engineering. The reality is that they share information all the time to come to a solution together, looking at design and analysing the information before tackling an issue.”

Kieran, who has plans to study cyber security in higher education, said that he had an interest in networking and so particularly enjoyed working with CISCO engineering while at JT but had found the mentoring in all the teams especially beneficial.

“It was never just about me sitting and watching what was going on, that’s not the JT way. The mentoring was fantastic, and I was given the chance to do real work, take part and ask questions. It was an exciting opportunity and worked very naturally. The bursary announcement came as a complete surprise on my second to last day – I hadn’t expected that at all but it’s great news, it’s so nice to know that the team at JT value my contribution” said Kieran.

Paul Taylor, Managing Director, JT Guernsey said: “Kieran worked really well with each team he joined during his internship, it was a pleasure to introduce him to our industry. We hope that the JT Bursary will ensure that he is able to make the most out of what a university degree has to offer him and, one day, bring those skills back to Guernsey and JT.”

The Discover Digital Summer Internship is open to all post-16 students, in full-time education, who have a passion for digital and a desire to work on digital projects with some of the Guernsey’s leading companies.

About JT Bursaries 

The JT Bursary scheme provides local students a £2000 financial grant towards the cost of university fees and expenses as well as offering a challenging six weeks of fully paid work experience during holiday periods. University subjects considered for a JT bursary are generally science, technology, engineering and maths. Applications can be made online from January each year through the JT website or contact hrinbox@jtglobal.com for further information.

Jersey’s full-fibre network has earned the Island a place on the shortlist of the 21^st annual World Communication Awards.

The successful completion of JT’s Gigabit Jersey project has been shortlisted in both the ‘Best Network Transformation Initiative’ and the ‘Broadband Pioneer’ categories of the distinguished awards, which will be presented at a ceremony in London at the end of October. The shortlisting sees JT joins some of the biggest names in the telecoms industry across the world – including BT, TalkTalk and O2. This in itself is a significant tribute to the talented and diverse team at JT that have worked to deliver this project from the beginning.

The shortlisting recognises the commitment made by JT’s teams to the island to deliver a reliable, high speed full-fibre network which would benefit the entire community. It has already paved the way for new business start-ups, contributed to the growth of Jersey’s digital sector and supported expansion of the finance industry, as well as opened the door to new ways of learning in our schools and enabled householders to embrace smart technology in their homes.

Graeme Millar, JT’s CEO, said: “A year on from the completion of this landmark project we can begin to assess the longer-term benefit that full-fibre is having for Jersey. Many of the advantages of a full-fibre network are now a reality. The network has had a truly transformative effect on Jersey’s position as a world leader in connectivity and innovation.

“The success of Jersey’s full-fibre network is down to the hard work and dedication of all those who worked on the project over the years. Together, we have created a legacy for Jersey and contributed to the current and future success of our Island economy and generations to come, which we’re all very proud of.”

Amy Bryant, Deputy CEO, Jersey Finance said: “Jersey’s ability to harness technological innovations lies not just in its community of skilled professionals but also in its world class infrastructure and digital capability. Advances in the internet of things (IoT), blockchain, fintech, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence depend on a fast and reliable connection and JT’s full-fibre network has provided that backbone to take them forward.”

Over 550 telecom companies, representing over 35 countries, are taking part in World Communications Awards 2019 and the winners of the 25 award categories will be announced at a ceremony in the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London, on 30 October 2019.

Autism Jersey’s annual golf day, sponsored by JT, has once again broken its own record with £30,000 raised for the charity.

The sell-out event saw 25 teams of golfers competing at La Moye Golf Club on Friday 23 August with the overall winners being the Dandara team of Martin Clancy, Adrian Huckson, Steve Herbert and Bob Wickings. The Morris and Grange team came a close second and Bedell Cristin third.

The charity is currently fund-raising to make a new multi-million-pound facility, which will become a home for the charity and provide a range of services to people with Autism and their families, a reality. JT’s on-going support of this annual event also means the new centre will have the latest technology, ensuring visitors and carers can keep connected via state-of-the-art equipment, made possible by JT’s full-fibre network.

Nick Winsor, Chairman of Autism Jersey, said: “The amount raised on Friday is a huge boost for our long-term goal to provide a hub for our services. Each year, the popularity and success of the golf day grows, thanks in large part to the longstanding partnership with our corporate sponsor JT. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in the day.”

Daragh McDermott, Corporate Affairs Director at JT and a board member of Autism Jersey, said: “Thanks to everyone who brought their game with them on Friday and congratulations to Dandara for their victory. Once again, it was a really enjoyable day for a great cause and I’m delighted that the combination of a great sporting event and well-supported auction have raised so much for this vital charity.”

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The gatekeeper of a programme to put JT’s customers at the heart of every conversation has been shortlisted for her leadership at the International Customer Service Awards.

Tamara O Brien, JT’s Group Head of Customer Experience, has been named as one of the six finalists in the Customer Experience Leader category of the awards, which will be announced at a ceremony in Amsterdam on 21 November 2019.

Tamara led a campaign across all of JT’s offices to reshape the customer experience for JT customers and support that experience with pioneering digital technology like the exclusive JT App. This instigated a company-wide training initiative, based around JT’s own customer feedback and insight – so that every one of JT’s people understood the value of real customer loyalty and satisfaction and became ambassadors for a brand they believed in.

“Over the last few years, JT has been on a journey to transform itself from a local telecoms provider to a world class communications brand.  Our purpose is to connect our islands and our customers to their future, and it is crucial for us to bring our people and our customers with us.

On a personal level, I am honoured to have been named as a finalist however it’s the hard work and commitment of all our teams, across the company, that has got us here. We empowered our people to believe in themselves and show them the vital role each one plays in supporting our customers. Our goal was to shift our culture in every area of the business so that the first question on everyone’s mind, no matter what their job, was and remains, ‘how will our customers feel about this’. On a simple level my role is to represent the voice of our customers across everything we do; be it a new live chat app to make life easier for customers to get help, a new roaming service designed to give customers more freedom when travelling, or creation of our customer panel ‘JT Voice’ giving our own customers input to how we provide our services and products.”

Tamara was instrumental in the development and delivery to JT’s 600+ employees of the company’s first customer experience strategy. She built and inspired a dedicated, specially-trained Central Customer Experience team which understands both customer behaviour and the importance community engagement plays in JT’s culture. Customer experience training is now an essential part of every employee’s induction, probation and remuneration and is supported at all levels of the business.

Now in its second year, the International Customer Experience Awards recognise inspiring organisations which are delivering an outstanding customer experience across the world

ENDS

For further information or to set up interviews please contact Anna Thorne at Direct Input on 01534 735253 or email anna@directinput.je

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Island golfers will be teeing off at La Moye Golf Club on Friday 23 August for this year’s Autism Jersey Annual Golf Day.

The JT-sponsored event is an increasingly popular fixture for enthusiastic Jersey golfers, and this year the event was booked out with 25 competing teams of 4 players, faster than any other year.

In 2018 the event raised a record-breaking £28,000 for Autism Jersey to be used for the building and running of a new residential, community-based Autism centre in the Island. The organisers are hoping that 2019 will be even more successful with competitors ending the day with a raffle and auction featuring many unique items donated by local businesses.

The funds raised at this year’s events will also go towards the purpose-built centre which will provide tailored assistance and improved services for people with autism and their families. JT’s on-going support of this annual event also means the new centre will have the latest technology, ensuring visitors can keep connected via state-of-the-art equipment, made possible by JT’s award winning full-fibre network.

Nick Winsor, Chairman of Autism Jersey, said: “The golf day has become the biggest annual event in our calendar and is our largest single fundraiser. The longstanding partnership with JT as corporate sponsor has played a big part in the continued success and growing popularity of the event. The funds raised by the competition and auction make a huge contribution to our work at Autism Jersey and raises awareness within local community and beyond.”

Daragh McDermott, Corporate Affairs Director at JT and a board member of Autism Jersey, said: “We are very proud of our partnership with Autism Jersey, supporting the fundraising efforts of this vital charity and being part of their efforts to raise awareness is very important to us. The charity provides invaluable support to many families in our community helping people with Autism live a full and inclusive life and promoting a greater understanding of the condition.”

The following statement has been released on behalf of JT:

“JT announced today that it has launched a 5G test site in Jersey and a 5G test site in Guernsey, following receipt of a licence to do so from CICRA in March 2019 and in line with a commitment announced in November 2018. The test will provide important technical and planning information to support JT’s forthcoming applications for a licence to extend its leading 2G/3G/4G networks towards 5G, once the process for doing so is announced by CICRA.”

More information about the 5G network for JT customers >