All Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) articles
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Finance & StrategyVM O2 may save close to £1bn on fibre as CEO declares three-player market unviable
Virgin Media O2 has pulled the plug on its cable-to-fibre conversion, potentially avoiding nearing on £1bn of investment as management argues that three-way infrastructure competition is economically unsustainable in much of the UK.
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M&AVM O2 TalkTalk interest challenges BT ‘only viable buyer’ narrative
Mike Fries, CEO at VM O2 co-parent Liberty Global, reveals previously undisclosed interest in TalkTalk, raising fresh questions over BT’s ‘buyer of last resort’ positioning.
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InfraVM O2–Openreach twist puts CMA fibre assumptions under pressure
Virgin Media O2 is reportedly preparing to shelve its cable-to-fibre upgrade in favour of turning to an Openreach wholesale deal for off-net expansion, cutting capital requirements while dealing a significant blow to the competitive assumptions underpinning the CMA’s nexfibre-Netomnia review.
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: redrawing operations as AI gains agency
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone execs weigh the necessary changes to the Group’s commercial and operating model as AI matures and 5G SA scales; a Polish re-entry via an old friend; political and regulatory changes across Vodafone Group; and the latest from the UK, Africa, Europe, and elsewhere…
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Analyst BriefingUK Infrawatch: nexfibre ups CMA pressure, UK infra ambitions reined
Analyst Briefing: Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including a CMA spanner in nexfibre‑Netomnia works, BT buying TalkTalk for good of nation’s health, CityFibre quietly keeps building, and plenty more…
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Finance & StrategyNandy plugs ‘gaping hole’ in UK rules, as InfraVia applies pressure on Netomnia deal
The UK government looks to plug a regulatory gap exposed by TalkTalk’s collapse, expanding its ability to intervene when telecoms deals threaten critical infrastructure or service continuity. At the same time, InfraVia is turning up political pressure over the separate nexfibre-Netomnia battle.
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M&Anexfibre refuses to blink as CMA deadline for remedies passes
In-depth: UK fibreco’s owners have refused to offer remedies for the proposed Substantial takeover, challenging the antitrust authority’s view of how competition would develop without the deal and putting pressure on the regulator to reconsider its Ofcom-informed assumptions.
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Analyst BriefingBTwatch Analyst Briefing: Openreach sweats its fibre infra
Analyst Briefing: Openreach tunes its network to meet demand and scouts out additional revenue streams for its fibre estate; TalkTalk deal remains talk of the town as CMA hands over its findings; vendor tie-ups put B2B security in the spotlight…
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NetworkVodafone ‘abandons’ open RAN to accelerate UK network upgrade project
One of the industry’s most enthusiastic open RAN advocates has walked away from open RAN in the UK, with Chief Network Officer Andrea Donà arguing that regulatory obligations and technology readiness left the operator little choice.
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Finance & StrategyCityFibre looks to future as consumer uptake lags
The UK’s largest fibre altnet has reported another period of strong revenue and EBITDA growth, but questions emerge over whether its momentum can be sustained in a fast-changing UK fibre market — and what would change if a counterfactual CityFibre–Substantial Group combination were to follow.
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M&ATalkTalk: BT takes the spoils, private equity takes a bath
In-Depth Analysis: The collapse and swift sale of TalkTalk has thrust BT into an unprecedented role as self-appointed industry saviour, ‘safeguarding’ millions of customers while attracting scrutiny from regulators, rivals, and policymakers — and highlighting the shortcomings of TalkTalk’s brief private equity ownership.
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M&ACMA flags substantial competition concerns as nexfibre/Netomnia dealt major blow
In-depth: The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority has delivered a significant setback to nexfibre’s proposed acquisition of Netomnia owner Substantial Group, arguing the deal would materially weaken competition in wholesale broadband markets.
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M&ABT: ‘national champion’ initiates saviour-mode for TalkTalk rescue
‘National champion’ is reportedly preparing to swoop on forlorn TalkTalk as vultures circle overhead, exploring whether its age-old national-interest argument retains traction to mop up millions of stranded subscribers, many already with Openreach, should growing fears materialise that the top-five ISP is running out of financial runway.
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NetworkUK fibreco Hyperoptic rejects wholesale as retail focus starts to pay
Altnet’s latest accounts reveal an altnet balancing rising debt and ongoing cash burn against improving profitability and penetration, while CEO Dana Tobak outlines an increasingly selective approach to expansion, wholesaling and consolidation.
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Analyst BriefingUK Infrawatch: altnet consolidation quarrels, TV multi-play bets
Analyst Briefing: Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including nexfibre‑Netomnia ‘turmoil’, Openreach’s accelerated copper switch‑off, Virtus raises funds for UK expansion, and plenty more…
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Strategy & ChangeITS promotes collaboration before ‘toolkit’ consolidation in “tough market”
Daren Baythorpe, CEO at UK B2B fibre wholesaler ITS Technology, believes the next phase of telecoms consolidation could look very different from the last. The B2B wholesaler boss argues that investors may increasingly combine complementary infrastructure assets rather than pursue straightforward fibre-network mergers.
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M&AUK: industry braced as nexfibre–Netomnia deal becomes referendum for fibre’s future
In-depth: £2bn deal dominated the keynote stage at Connected Britain, with rival executives abandoning diplomatic language and openly clashing ahead of a competition ruling that could determine shape of UK fibre’s next phase.
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Analyst BriefingUK Infrawatch: CMA weighs nexfibre–Netomnia options; CityFibre strengthens Vodafone ties
Analyst Briefing: Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including CMA priorities for Netomnia/nexfibre review, competition growing from multiservice propositions, CityFibre spins out a new wholesale aggregator, and plenty more…
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M&ACMA uprates Netomnia–nexfibre investigation to Phase 2 as altnets call for ‘urgency’
Altnet buyer nexfibre gets pragmatic and skips straight to the in-depth competition review, keeping hopes alive for completion before the end of the year. The UK’s fibre scene is set to change, but the CMA will now decide the extent.
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M&AVodafoneThree networks chief: merger remedies more ‘asset’ than ‘burden’
Chief Network Officer Andrea Donà has framed strict regulatory remedies as an “engineer’s paradise” as the UK operator sets about its £7bn network integration programme.