All UK Fibre Challengers articles – Page 2
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Network & InfrastructureOpenreach enters Project Gigabit fray at near-£1bn scale
Openreach handed its first Project Gigabit contracts, more in discussion. UK government ‘redoubles’ rural infill efforts, including first few in Wales…
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Network & InfrastructureShort-term delays in NI, but Project Gigabit readying for leap forward across devolved nations
Northern Ireland Executive confirms slight delay in procurement, but confident Project Stratum success can be replicated as paths cleared for Project Gigabit progress in Scotland, Wales…
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Venturing & InvestmentsUK Infrastructure Bank gives fibre sector another financial leg-up
National infra financing organisation backs another rural fibre altnet as Quickline secures a £250m debt package to support rollout in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
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Venturing & InvestmentsInfracapital: UK FibreCo fundraisers must graft to overcome global ‘bad rep’, new gov showing ‘green shoots’
INCA event provides platform for investors and altnets including Octopus and Netomnia to review early weeks of Labour government, with broad optimism on show despite still rocky funding environment. The capital exists, but what will Downing Street do to bring it to the UK? Read more…
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Venturing & InvestmentsGov-backed UK Infrastructure Bank provides funding to another rural FibreCo
Cornish Wildanet attracts £35m investment from UKIB, days after the bank ploughed £150m into Hyperoptic.
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Weekly BriefingsInfrawatch Weekly: Europe aims for SatCo breakthrough, Hyperoptic joins £1bn club, DT ponders more TowerCos
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK and beyond, including: EU efforts to support connectivity on Earth and above the skies; UK public sector stoking the fire of fibre investment; musings on the merits of more TowerCos; and plenty more…
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Venturing & InvestmentsHyperoptic crosses £1bn funding milestone with fresh UK investment
Altnet focused on plugging connectivity gaps in urban areas says £150m in UK Infrastructure Bank money will particularly benefit social housing residents.
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Network & InfrastructureOpenreach initiates infra-sharing crackdown as altnets told to get compliant
So-called ‘whereabouts’ compliance must reach 90% for altnets to avoid potential eviction from Openreach networks, with three-month grace period before any action taken. Altnets also unhappy with current failings, and investors wary of compliance weakness. Read more…
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M&AUK fibre M&A ‘easy’ (compared to challenges of compatibility, integration, compliance)
Challenger leaders at INCA gathering call out lack of industry standards as key obstacle to more M&A. Integration and migration are costly and complex, making compatibility a consideration for prospective buyers. Compliance also increasingly important in valuations. More positive is XGS-PON embrace, deemed a “damn fine standard for a starting place”, but beware legacy tech. Learn more…
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M&AAltnets Netomnia-Brsk merging into UK FibreCo unicorn tier
This weekend sees confirmation of top-ten FibreCos combining into top-five integrated challenger with uprated three million footprint target, wholesale differentiation, prep’d for further M&A. Read more, including our updated market overview…
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Weekly BriefingsInfrawatch Weekly: Project Gigabit acceleration, African expansion, and 5G streetlights
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK and beyond, including: drone‑enabled 5G and IoT hidden in streetlamps; ongoing network and service building in Africa; Openreach eyeing under‑delivering Project Gigabit contracts; and plenty more…
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Financial & PerformanceOpenreach to invade Project Gigabit, snap up altnet misfires
FY23–24: Closing in on infill Project Gigabit contracts, also eyeing altnet misfires. Line loss the new reality despite strong fibre build and take-up momentum. TelcoTitans BTwatch predicts altnets will step up, not roll over. New CEO Kirkby makes clear Openreach not for sale (yet). Read more…
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Financial & PerformanceInfra investors line up for stake in Virgin Media O2’s new NetCo
Q1 FY24: Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries says Boston Consultancy Group and Deloitte hired for financial and project planning, as investors appear interested in fibre spin-out plans. Despite confidence in fibre growth opportunity, VM O2’s fixed customer base declined in an overall uneasy quarter for the operator…
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Weekly BriefingsInfrawatch Weekly: squeezing value from investment, Lightning administration unpicked, SiFi lands in America
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK and beyond, including infra owners declaring if they’ve got it, they might as well use it; a Lightning‑quick insolvency resolution; the Welsh sector veteran bringing fibre to the US; people moves, and plenty more…
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Financial & PerformanceLightning Fibre’s quick insolvency switch could show the way for struggling altnets
Lightning Fibre’s £40m pre-pack sale out of administration and back into the hands of the investment fund that had supported its initial build may prove a template for struggling UK altnets as expectations on performance levels rise, but at what cost for suppliers and partners? Read more…
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InterviewNetomnia: capex inefficiency is blocking consolidation opportunity
Speaking to TelcoTitans, Netomnia founder and CEO Jeremy Chelot suggests too many altnets are banking on unachievable take-up goals, and that playing fast and loose with investor money has resulted in a block on viable valuations for consolidation.
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M&ACityFibre ignites M&A plan with Lit Fibre buy
Altnet lights M&A touchpaper with Lit Fibre deal, expands FTTP footprint and brings in Newlight Partners as minority investor. More to come from CityFibre soon…
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Public AffairsNetomnia: UK’s One Touch Switch ‘hijacked’ by BT, VM O2 as scheme delayed again
Altnet CEO Jeremy Chelot tells TelcoTitans that the UK’s One Touch Switching hub is unviable under current governance, with BT and Virgin Media said to be dragging feet and over-complicating proceedings. A new date has been set, but concerns remain. The alternative? ‘I’ve built it, and it took me three weeks’…
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PeopleEx-BT CEO Patterson takes board seat at altnet aggregator X3T
Interconnect platform operator X3T bolsters board with UK telecoms hall-of-famers Gavin Patterson and O2 UK’s Derek McManus.
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InterviewFibrus preps off-net retail expansion, asserts leadership in own footprint
CEO interview: having achieved FTTP leadership and segment-topping KPIs within own fibre footprint, altnet now challenging traditional incumbents on own turf. Northern Ireland a case study in high-penetration and how hyperlocal majorly disrupts network, ISP status quo…