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JT partnership with leading tech company helps with global supply issues

JT is doing its bit for the planet while also providing its business clients with a solution to the ongoing global supply chain problems and shortage of components thanks to their Cisco Premier Partner status.

Businesses that are facing difficulty replacing equipment such as phones, routers and security products are being offered re-manufactured digital equipment by JT through its Cisco Refresh service. Re-manufactured equipment saves resources and reduces waste by breathing new life into old or used products.

As part of JT’s commitment to addressing increasing environmental pressures in its 10-year Sustainability Strategy, the company is working with its partner Cisco, one of the world’s leading suppliers and manufacturers of digital services and equipment, to repurpose and reuse legacy kit under their circular economy pillar.

Katie Corbett, Director of Enterprise and Business Services, said: “Many islanders will know how hard it can be at times to buy items such as games consoles due to a global shortage of components, such as computer chips. It’s the same for businesses trying to upgrade or replace essential equipment. The solution we’re offering means our customers can avoid supply chain disruptions whilst also being able to buy sustainable products that have a low carbon footprint. Business customers get the same warranty protection and support that they would with brand new products, but it gives us the opportunity to service them faster, in a more  sustainable and cost effective way. The feedback so far has been fantastic and we’re excited to help and support more businesses in the same way going into 2022.”

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Jersey’s future engineering given a helping hand by JT

JT has teamed up with the UK’s leading engineering scholarship programme to encourage more young islanders to gain a head start with their careers in engineering and technology. The telecoms company is sponsoring two Jersey A Levels students, Annabel Mair, Jersey College for Girls and Eden Powell, Victoria College, who have each been awarded a prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship following a rigorous selection process which began with their teachers recommending them for the scheme.

The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship programme has been running for over 30 years and has granted over 6,000 scholarships with 45% of those awarded in 2021 being to female students. The scheme has helped thousands of young people across the UK and Channel Islands to achieve their dream of a career in engineering, computing or technical design at university or through a higher-level apprenticeship.

It’s open to all 16-year-olds across the UK and Channel Islands, with each student being sponsored by an employer, institution, trust or private donor. Being the only Channel Island sponsor this year, JT is also offering work experience opportunities to the two students awarded the Scholarships as it continues to encourage and support more young people to get involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.

Annabel Mair, said: ‘’I am so grateful for this scholarship and thrilled to be given the chance to work with JT over the next few years. Having always loved the problem solving and creative aspects of engineering, I am keen to find a career that I am passionate about with the vital support that I am being provided by Arkwright. I am eager to gather as much advice as I can from the wide range of professionals and mentors at JT and plan to make the most out of this incredible opportunity.’’

Eden Powell, said: ‘’I am fascinated by how engineering can be used to solve many diverse medical problems, resulting in incredible innovations such as 3D printed organs, advanced prosthetics and pioneering wearable devices. Having the support to develop my engineering interests from both my school and from a business such as JT, puts me in a fortunate position to make the most of the opportunities the Arkwright Scholarship presents.’’

Nicola Reeves, JT Group HR Director, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer the first JT Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and hope that Annabel and Eden will inspire other young people to look at the breadth of exciting roles available. The process they went through, once they had been put forward by their teachers, included an exam and interview which really helps to prepare them for what it will be like when they apply for roles in the future. It’s our hope that by working with local students from an early age, it will demonstrate the many opportunities for home grown local talent at JT, building strong relationships with schools and students across the islands as we support our future innovators in engineering as they look to engineer a better world.”

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The jolliest virtual experience as Santa connects with Channel Island children

Santa is again inviting families to safely enjoy a much loved Christmas tradition by connecting virtually with children across the Channel Islands, using a little help from the local JT Elves.

Last year, due to restrictions on gatherings, Santa was sadly unable to make his usual visit to the JT shops and instead, with the help of his most technically able assistant, Elfie, he chatted to children just after breakfast on Sunday mornings in the run up to Christmas. The North Pole live streams were so popular that Santa and Elfie didn’t need any persuading from Mrs Claus to set aside time this year to meet the islands children online again, direct from Santa’s Grotto in the North Pole.  Elfie is so excited and Santa has been practising by having regular online meetings with the JT Elves, so there’s not much he’s not aware of.

Tamara O’Brien, Group Head of Marketing, Brand and Customer Experience, said: “What could be more magical than seeing and talking to Santa, it’s one of the most memorable experiences children can have at Christmas. So when Elfie got in touch with us to help enhance Santa’s home Wi-Fi  we jumped at the chance.  Thanks to JT’s Total Wi-fi we’ve made sure local children didn’t miss out on seeing him. Like everyone else, Santa has had to adapt, but he’s been around for a long time and has seen many changes.  My daughter and I will definitely be tuned in again as we love to hear him reading out everyone’s messages”.

Parents and children will be able to type their questions and present requests live on the Facebook stream and, with the help of Elfie, Santa will answer questions, play some games and may even share some secrets about the Reindeers.

There is no need to book. Simply register your interest via Facebook Live events on the JTsocial page. Reminders and updates will be sent to everyone who registers.

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JT takes its place in the fight against global fraud

JT’s innovative Fraud Protection Services combines data and technology in the fight against fraud and financial crime, saving businesses and their customers millions as fraudsters step up their attempts to breach accounts.

Although stricter online security measures are making it harder for criminals,  the compromise of personal and financial data remains a significant problem for many businesses as they seek to protect their customers from scams.

There has been a worldwide increase in SIM card fraud – an account take over, where control is transferred from a genuine SIM card to one controlled by criminals. To combat this JT International developed a detection service, now widely used by international banks and leading businesses in the UK and around the world,  giving them the ability to automatically check if the identity of the person attempting to make a transaction is genuine.

One bank that’s using JT’s Fraud Protection Service (FPS) says the advanced technology is preventing an estimated loss of $100,000 every time a SIM swap fraud is detected.

By working with mobile network operators around the world, JT’s Fraud Protection Services is preventing criminal gangs from targeting call centres in their attempts to steal customers’ credentials to buy goods, access bank accounts or move and transfer money.

Clare Messenger, Head of Fraud Protection Services at JT, said: “Fraud is on the rise and with people more reliant on digital and mobile phone services, criminal organisations have been quick to exploit certain weaknesses. One such weakness identified as a prime area where account takeovers can occur is within call centres, a facility that is seen in many industries. At JT we have built strong relationships with network operators globally which means we can use our unique Fraud Protection Service to check customer credentials in milli-seconds, giving our customers peace of mind that their customers are swiftly protected without any drop in customer experience – a seamless, yet reassuring service.”

Paul Taylor, Managing Director, JT International said: “JT is well known for creating innovative products and services, and for some years now we have been building up our Fraud Protection Services, becoming the ‘go to’ partner for many leading finance houses and other service providers around the world. Fraud crosses all sectors, using real-time checks can speed up the time it takes to onboard customers, identifying possible problems while fast-tracking those that have passed the checks.  Our services can also be used throughout the lifecycle of a customer, continuing to provide ongoing insight that will help combat fraud.’’

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JT’s frontline teams shine at National Customer Experience Awards

JT’s focus on customer care and customer experience (CX) during the COVID-19 pandemic shone through at a national awards event last week, where JT’s team were awarded Gold in the ‘Customer Experience in the Crisis’ category.

JT were up against strong global entries from much larger companies, like TalkTalk and Pharmacy2U. The judges decided JT’s commitment to meeting the unprecedented demand for fast and reliable connectivity to every household during the pandemic made it a worthy winner.

Daragh McDermott, Managing Director JT Channel Islands, said: “COVID-19 has challenged everyone, and our first priority was to always keep our customers connected. We were acutely aware of how reliant the whole community was on our infrastructure and services, so we worked quickly to support customers when they needed us most.  Measures like introducing free landline calls, upgrading our broadband network to 1GB/s at no extra cost and removing charging if customers went over their usage limits, were quickly put in place to ensure people stayed connected. I am really proud of how our teams have worked together and that they have been recognised in this way, as they too have found things very challenging during these extraordinary times.”

JT was also a finalist in the ‘CX in the Community’ and ‘Business Change Transformation’ categories, and also won Silver in ‘The Best Use of Insight and Feedback – Customers Voice’, beating insurance giants Vitality and broadband provider Swish Fibre.

Tamara O’Brien, Group Head of Corporate Communications, Brand & CX, added: ‘It’s fantastic to see our people’s total commitment to our customers, their colleagues and our wider community has shone through on a national stage, up against world class global companies such as TalkTalk and Pharmacy2U.

Our people were incredibly swift to adapt our services based on what our customers needed and to use the customer insight and data we had to help us support them.  This recognition underlines how important continuing to listen to our customers and evolving the service and experience we provide is.”

To see all the winners see : https://cxa.co.uk/winners-and-finalists-2021

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Macmillan Jersey’s Get Together for Good brings out the best

Last year, JT and Macmillan Jersey changed what was an annual coffee morning event into 7 days of activities that brought people together and raised over £26,000 for the local charity. Now in its second year, the  event  attracted much more support with events taking place all over the island. Funds are still coming in but the charity expects to raise in excess of £30,000, with over £6,000 coming from their partners JT, who held their own internal charity week in tandem, raising £3,000 which was then £4£ matched by the company.

The event was initially created to enable the charity to continue with a well-established fundraising tradition during a difficult fundraising period, which has now  become a new firm favourite in Jersey’s community calendar.

Steph Gibaut, Head of Income Generation for Macmillan Jersey, said: “It’s been amazing to see how ‘Get Together for Good’ is evolving alongside Jersey’s Greatest Coffee Morning, which so many people still like to hold. The contribution and support from the community has surpassed all our expectations, from the fantastic prizes to give away in our Charity Raffle, to film nights and a special coffee blend, it’s surprising how much you can pack into one week of fun. Every penny raised will go towards the essential work that we do in supporting cancer patients, their family, friends and work colleagues. As a Jersey charity that doesn’t receive any funding from Macmillan UK, our services can only be provided thanks to the generosity of the many local people who support us. After such a financially challenging year, we are so grateful to those that went the extra mile to support us and want to give special thanks to JT who have over the past two years become so much more to us than just a sponsor’’.

Daragh McDermott, JT’s Managing Director, Channel Islands said: “It’s truly  inspiring to work with a team like Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey. Over the past two years we’ve worked together to create an annual fundraising event that allows people to design their own activity, have some fun but above all, help support those, who support our loved ones.  JT offices around the world took on a very different look for that week in September, with all of our people embracing the theme and pulling together to raise money, awareness and have a good time. We held 28 independent events, ranging from  an online ‘Duck Derby’ to a pop-up clothes shop, and a coffee and cake morning across all of our global offices. The icing on the cake was to see Fort Regent glow green all week for Macmillan Jersey awareness.

Macmillan Jersey not only motivate us at JT, they’ve also captured the hearts of our entire community, with so many people and businesses around the island coming together to support this great event, it just shows how we can all be part of one team, united in our efforts to make a difference’’.

Scouts use JT technology
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Scouts use JT technology to make activities safer and more fun

Adventurous activities for young people in Jersey have been made safer and more challenging thanks to modern GPS-led SMART technology donated by JT.

Scout leaders from two island Scout groups are now using handheld devices powered by JT SIMs that send them data that enables them to monitor their troops from a safe distance during expeditions, hikes and bicycle rides.

This provides an extra layer of safety when the Scouts – who are aged from 10 to 14 – take part in activities that are aimed at developing teamwork, navigation skills and problem solving.

Dan O’Connor, Scout Leader, 23rd Jersey Scout Group, said: “We’ve recently been introduced to GPS tracking by a Scout leader from another group, and thanks to JT’s help both groups can now use this to deliver a more challenging programme.  Our Scouts are eager to get outdoors and to face challenges. They want to make their own decisions. This technology allows us to create activities which are exciting but also safe, where the perceived level of danger is much higher than the actual level of risk. The Scouts are developing independence, resilience and teamwork skills, but they’re also having fun.  We can track exactly where each group is and how fast they’re moving, allowing us to supervise them from a safe distance and provide help only if it becomes necessary. This gives them a greater sense of freedom and responsibility, not to mention the huge sense of accomplishment and confidence boost they get from completing a task without any adult help.”

Tom Noel, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, added: “Scouting is very popular in Jersey, but it’s reliant on the people who volunteer their time as leaders to provide fun and challenging activities for the island’s youth. With many of our own JT people actively involved in the scout movement we wanted to find a way we could use our digital expertise and network to help evolve practical activities. By using JT SIMs, leaders can link the small GPS trackers the Scouts take with them to provide real time positioning so they can see where they are on a map. The scouting motto is ‘Be Prepared’ and I think this is a fantastic way to help our young people learn important life skills and show great teamwork and leadership. They can plan and execute each outing, while their leaders can ensure they are comfortable, warm, safe and, most of all, prepared to face the unexpected — but safe in the knowledge that if needed, they can step in to support.”

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JT welcomes double win at IoD awards 2021

Responding to their IoD Director of the Year 2021 Award wins, Phil Male, JT Group Chairman, and Tom Noel, JT’s Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, commented:

Phil Male – winner of Non-executive Director of the Year (sponsored by Club NED):

“Clearly, I’m delighted to receive this fantastic award, because I think it recognises just how much everyone at JT has pulled together through the last eighteen months, which has seen us keep the island connected through COVID, be recognised as having the world’s fastest broadband network, launch a critical Sustainability Strategy and complete the largest corporate transaction in the digital sector that the island’s ever seen. There is no way that could all have been achieved unless it was preceded by many years of careful planning, hard work and talent, and that is exactly what I have seen throughout my colleagues in the JT Group. Thank you to the IoD and Club NED, on their behalf, for this fitting recognition of their achievements.”

Tom Noel – winner of the Director of the Year – Sustainability (sponsored by Jersey Water):

“There is nothing more important in business today than sustainability, and my team was really proud to be able to launch JT’s strategy earlier this year. JT will be working with our partners to help the island meet its carbon-neutral target, and we knew it was essential that we set out clearly exactly what we planned to achieve, with measurable objectives.

“In many ways though, publishing that strategy brought together much of the work which was already happening, and clearly set out the road ahead – which means the hard work starts now, and as a provider of critical national infrastructure, JT will be doing all it can to make sure its own operations are delivered sustainably, but also working together with our partners to enable the island to do the same.

“This award is recognition for everyone at JT who had worked so hard to get us to this point; I’d like to thank the IoD, and the Award’s sponsor, Jersey Water.”

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Fort Regent to turn green to mark Macmillan Jersey’s ‘Get Together for Good’ campaign

The dome on Fort Regent will glow green for the whole of next week to mark the ‘Get Together for Good’ campaign for Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey supported by JT.

The week, which starts on Monday 20 September and runs until 26 September, will feature activities that islanders can get involved in, either hosting an event at home or taking part in activities with friends, family and work colleagues.

Last year, JT and Macmillan changed the annual fundraising coffee morning to a 7-day event, raising over £26,000. This year there are even more opportunities to make a real difference and raise even more to ensure cancer support services continue for locals.

Daragh McDermott, Managing Director, JT Channel Islands, said: “After the success of last year, we want supporters to have even more opportunities to get involved which is what the ‘Get Together for Good’ week is all about. We chose Macmillan Jersey as our main charity in 2020, it was such a great partnership that when we asked our people at JT to continue our link with Macmillan Jersey for another year, they overwhelmingly agreed. I’m really pleased to see so many of our own partners and customers supporting this year by putting on events all over this island. We hope this will inspire more people to get inloved, organise an event and send out an invitation to friends in the name of ‘Get Together for Good.’’

Island businesses have embraced the new concept and set their own challenges. Coopers Coffee has created a special Macmillan coffee blend, Randalls Group are hosting quizzes every night during the week and Santander Work Café is hosting their very own greatest coffee morning, events will be happening all week at the JT shop in Queen’s Street.

Lauren Perchard-Rees, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey, said: “There are so many individual fund-raising events happening all over the island next week with people getting together and sharing some time to support our services. As a charity, we are available to everyone affected by cancer and we are so grateful for the support we receive from JT who have helped us expand this event more than we could have imagined. All next week Fort Regent will be lit up in green, highlighting how our team at Macmillan Jersey do a wonderful job in bringing people affected by cancer together and help cancer patients enjoy life to the fullest.”

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JT Technology linking GB gold medal winners to a global audience

Sports fans around the world will be glued to their screens this weekend watching some of the world’s top triathletes compete in Jersey, thanks to the connectivity provided by JT, the Official Technology Partner of the 2021 Super League Triathlon Jersey (SLT).

With Elizabeth Castle providing the backdrop, the SLT Championship Series returns on Saturday 18 September after a two-year absence with a host of Olympic medallists, including Team GB’s gold medal winners Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jonny Brownlee and Jess Learmonth.

In a change to the usual format, SLT Teams puts the biggest names in triathlon into teams to compete against each other in the SLT Championship and, thanks to the technology supplied by JT, reaching 1.6 billion sports fans world wide will enjoy all the action as it is broadcast live from the Waterfront.

Daragh McDermott, Managing Director, JT Channel Islands, said: “After we watched and celebrated their success in Tokyo, it’s fantastic to be welcoming so many athletes fresh from the Olympics to our island.

“We are immensely proud of our continued involvement in the Super League Triathlon, helping to share this global event to the many fans of triathlon around the world and showcasing the best of what Jersey has to offer; that includes the excellent connectivity delivered by our full-fibre broadband network, which has recently been ranked as the very best in the world.

“We want to wish all the competitors the best as they line up for what is a highlight of the year, and we are delighted to be involved.”

Michael D’Hulst, CEO and Co-Founder of SLT, added: “We have worked closely with JT right from the beginning and they have been a huge supporter of everything we are doing to bring this fantastic sport to a new, global audience. It would simply not happen without the super-fast fibre connectivity that JT has made available in Jersey. Our athletes love the welcome they receive when they come to Jersey and relish the challenges of racing on the tight and narrow course around the St Helier Waterfront. Super League Triathlon is fast paced racing at its most exciting and, with our partners at JT, we can share the atmosphere from this fantastic event to a global audience.”