BT Group has approached AT&T and Orange about possible partnerships as the UK telco aims to improve the fortunes of its international business unit.

Bloomberg reported today that sources have noted that US carrier and French giant Orange could be involved in possible tie-ups with BT Group.

BT has been looking to shift its international business unit since last year, having previously outlined plans to optimize its global business.

As reported by Bloomberg, BT’s discussions with AT&T and Orange could involve the company selling a stake in its global segment.

The publication notes that conversations are in the preliminary stages.

BT’s international unit has struggled for a number of years, and only accounted for around 11 percent of the company’s revenue in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year.

“We’re keeping everything open and this means we’ve been speaking to third parties about a range of possibilities,” a BT spokesperson told Bloomberg. Orange stated its priority is to focus on its business strategy, while AT&T declined to comment.

BT CEO Allison Kirkby outlined plans last year to save a further £3 billion ($3.79bn) in costs by the end of 2029.

Part of her turnaround strategy has been to focus heavily on the company’s home market in the UK.

In 2023, BT announced plans to cut 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade, affecting its operations both in the UK and globally. At the time, BT noted that its workforce was around 130,000.

The company has sold off some of its assets in the last year too, notably its Irish wholesale and enterprise unit to Cordiant subsidiary Speed Fibre Group in February and its Irish data center business to Equinix in December. BT’s international business unit is also up for sale.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Indian billionaire Sunil Mittal could increase his stake in British telco giant BT beyond the 24.5 percent stakes he owns in the company after acquiring shares from Altice founder Patrick Drahi last year.