All BDUK (Project Gigabit) articles
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Network & Infrastructure
Special report: When UK fibre hits its limit, do altnets go wireless?
INCA Summit 2024: debate spills from panel to panel as altnet leaders target the last 2% of ultra-rural premises where fibre is too costly to deploy without massive subsidies. Wireless re-enters the room with new spectrum, enhanced technology…
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People
UK altnet Quickline onboards telco veterans to guide Project Gigabit build
Fibre builder changes C-suite roster to help it reach target 450,000 full-fibre connections by 2027.
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Network & Infrastructure
UK fibre reality check evident in pullback
Compilation of FibreCo plans shows retrenchment in forward planning, reflecting recent financing constraints. With extreme overbuild scenarios, further consolidation looks inevitable. Learn more…
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Venturing & Investments
Altnet Ogi picks up £45m in funding from Cardiff councils
Welsh fibre altnet secures Cardiff Capital Region debt facility and additional backing from long–term investor Infracapital.
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Weekly Briefings
Infrawatch Weekly: Fibrus and Quickline charge on; data centre investment enthusiasm; BDUK investment pros and cons
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK and beyond, including datacentre developments draw in cash, Ofcom mulls new code powers for operators great and small, value of regional subsidy plans pondered, and plenty more…
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Interview
UK altnet Quickline pitches ‘patchwork’ solution to rural full-fibre challenge
Quickline CEO Sean Royce tells TelcoTitans not everyone needs a gigabit right now and full fibre is not the only way to improve broadband services in the most remote parts of the UK.
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People
Openreach simplifies exec team to navigate ‘very complex’ fibre build
Chief Engineer Andy Whale takes on leadership of new Complex Engineering department, bringing together complex fibre and Ethernet build teams.
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Weekly Briefings
Infrawatch Weekly: CityFibre’s Sky swoop; altnet financial ups and downs; Euro data centre cashouts
Latest from digital infra scene in UK and beyond, including: UK fibre altnets posting substantial losses but building up valuable assets; signs that direction of UK state infra investment may be getting a rethink; European data centre sales plans; latest people moves, and plenty more…
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Weekly Briefings
Telefónicawatch Weekly: O2 Germany reinforces wholesale defences with Freenet deal
German operator confirms extended wholesale agreement with MVNO as it seeks to fill in future free cash flow hole left by loss of 1&1 deal.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: UK fibre competition heats up amongst other headaches
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including: Sky inks CityFibre wholesale deal, pushing BT share price off a cliff; Etc. targets role in BT platform strategy, fintech product among the routes in; Business exec changes see new focus for some, as Global options reviewed; more on PSTN, SRN, and full-fibre rollout headaches…
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Network & Infrastructure
CityFibre adds ‘kingmaker’ Sky in fibre wholesale offensive
UK’s largest altnet signs wholesale deal with Sky, making a dent in Openreach dominance and pushing further the claim of genuine competition to the incumbent. Sky commits to rental economics, while CityFibre leverages Project Gigabit fame to help ISPs to new full-fibre markets…
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Network & Infrastructure
Trooli CEO: UK’s Project Gigabit scheme will ‘come into its own’
Talking to Zen’s Richard Tang, Trooli CEO Andy Conibere praised the work of the government’s BDUK in stimulating an altnet industry.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: Drahi out, Bharti in as CEO Kirkby claims BT strategy ‘vote of confidence’
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including the Group’s new largest shareholder and the motivations behind the move; Openreach stepping into the Project Gigabit fray with a potential £800m windfall; BT Sourced hypes nnamu procure-tech; more around the Group…
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Network & Infrastructure
Openreach 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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Weekly Briefings
Infrawatch 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 & Infrastructure
Short-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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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: CEO claims ‘solid start’ but warns of tumultuous year to come
Latest from BT and its interests, including: a Q1 report that tees up plenty of turbulence to come, but with a recovery scheduled within the next 18 months; a massive ESN contract in the works with BT despite equally substantial delays in recent years; and new digs for the former CEO…
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Weekly Briefings
Infrawatch Weekly: VM O2 readying NetCo, Spain’s InfraCo bonanza, UK altnets’ investment “bad rep”
Latest from digital infra scene, including: UK sector’s reaction to the new Labour government and hopes for continued investment; Vodafone returning once again to the Vantage Towers piggybank; plans for two new FibreCo JVs in Spain; and plenty more…
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Venturing & Investments
UK 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 & Infrastructure
Project 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…