Altnets – Page 6
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Network & InfraOpenreach 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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Analyst BriefingInfrawatch Weekly: Italian infra on the up; Project Gigabit preps leap forward; Macquarie comes and goes
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK and beyond; including INWIT prepping for Italian investment boost; Indus Towers finally getting paid; claims that UK PIA oversight is MIA; latest people moves; and plenty more…
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Network & InfraShort-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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Network & InfraProject Gigabit future: UK FibreCos say yes to expansion, but with caveats
Mooted bundling of Project Gigabit mega-contracts gets firm ‘no’ from altnet INCA gathering, but most on board for programme extension. New Labour government urged to protect and evolve rural fibre build to reach final few per cent of rural premises, learn from ‘zany’ Scotland, or risk missing FTTP targets. And then there’s that Type C elephant (not) in the room, Openreach…
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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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M&AG.Network: London FibreCo being prepped for trade sale?
Sky News reported anonymous sources claiming the sizeable London fibre provider has hired bankers after being approached by potential buyers. Investors USS and Cube recently rejigging. Potential compatible buyers identified…
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Analyst BriefingInfrawatch 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 & InfraOpenreach 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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Public Affairsnexfibre joins calls to tighten Openreach infra choker, ensure lasting UK fibre competition
UK fibre wholesaler calls for new and improved regulation to provide platform for altnet competition as attention turns to Ofcom’s next five-year framework. Echoes broad consensus among INCA members that more could be done to limit Openreach dominance, encourage altnet investment…
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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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M&AUK fibre altnet Voneus gets £18m funding boost
Existing investors plough another £18m into Voneus after the recently expanded group is said to be on a roll with increased build rate and sales.
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Analyst BriefingInfrawatch 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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Analyst BriefingInfrawatch 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…