FibreCos
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M&A
BT Ireland grabs Cordiant’s attention for infra, wholesale sell-off — report
Operator reportedly looking to firm up sale of infrastructure and wholesale business units “in the coming weeks”, advancing Kirkby’s ‘asset-light’ strategy following recent sale of Irish data centres…
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Financial & Performance
In depth: Openreach line losses accelerate, fibre gaps widen as strategic vulnerability
Q3 FY24–25: BT’s wholesale division again reports strong financials and record fibre build, but a deeper look reveals a worrying trend of accelerating line losses. This analysis delves into the implications of altnet and Project Gigabit competition, eroding historic market dominance.
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Network & Infrastructure
KPN seeks to temper Dutch overbuild amidst fibre storm
CEO Joost Farwerck eager to temper overbuild in the Netherlands, as fibre rivals including DELTA Fiber and Open Dutch Fiber lock in overlapping city build programmes. Concerns accompany latest earnings showing incumbent maintaining pace to hit own rollout target…
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Strategy & Change
Acquisitive Polish FibreCo slows M&A, seeks funding in strategy rethink
Jacek Wiśniewski, Chief Executive at Poland’s Nexera, says business is exploring financing options to fuel push past 1.5 million premises. M&A and build-out set to slow down in 2025, as Nexera follows broader European trend of focusing on take-up…
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Network & Infrastructure
Telefónica–Vodafone fibre venture takes shape
Operators reported to have lined up Telefónica’s Spanish network boss to lead set-up of their pending wireline infra joint venture, and to be close to receiving bids from prospective financial partners as they look to firm up the FibreCo’s ownership structure and capital base. Read more…
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Interview
CityFibre sees commercial promise, ‘moral obligation’ in Project Gigabit
CityFibre’s public sector lead Andy Nash talks to TelcoTitans on the altnet’s emergence as a strategic government supplier for Project Gigabit, answering “the big exam question” on going beyond initial goals, and the moral duty of delivering rural connectivity…
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M&A
FullFibre, Zzoomm to form integrated altnet, fuel further M&A
UK fibre altnets to combine for a shared 600,000 ready for service network with 65,000 customers, adding FullFibre’s wholesale platform to Zzoomm’s retail.
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People
MTN appoints new infra chief to drive AI strategy
Group CTIO Mazen Mroué named CEO for Digital Infrastructure, including Bayobab fibre and mobile hardware units.
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Network & Infrastructure
Spain’s fibre foundations need a fix-up
Market seen in self-adjustment mode to smooth out overlaps between FibreCo estates while also filling gap between urban and rural FTTH coverage.
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Interview
nexfibre: Keep leash on Openreach to drive UK fibre competition
nexfibre development chief Giles Rowbotham speaks with TelcoTitans on need to drive UK fibre competition by maintaining regulation of Openreach. Says Ofcom needs to keep an eye on wholesale pricing and copper-to-fibre migration process, as well as consolidation, investment, PIA, and local-level factors within wider market…
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Network & Infrastructure
Orange moves to cash in on decommissioned copper
French operator is reportedly seeking a value assessment of the copper in its legacy network as it works towards switching off the public switched telephone network by 2030.
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Network & Infrastructure
UK’s Project Gigabit: billions committed, but just 1.6% take-up at last count
Nearly four years in, government’s Project Gigabit spend reaches £2.2bn with latest Openreach contracts, but connections faltering at just 11,000 as commitments and subsidies yet to translate to boots on the ground. With another £400m in the procurement pipeline for 2025, when will cash finally convert to real impact? In depth non-chummy review of UK rural fibre programme inside…
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Strategy & Change
DT seeks savings with merger of wholesale businesses
Group to meld domestic wholesale unit and international connectivity business T-Global Carrier, creating new arm with more than 1,000 industry clients.
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Network & Infrastructure
Amazon shuttles towards UK Project Kuiper launch in 2025
Kuiper Systems preparing to commercially launch UK satellite broadband services during 2025, following launch of first-generation satellites expected in the coming months. Move comes as demand for UK satellite connectivity ramps up as rural alternative to full-fibre…
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Network & Infrastructure
MásOrange and Vodafone Spain confirm deal to create ‘Europe’s largest FibreCo’
Rework of consolidated Spanish telco market continues, seeing MásOrange and Vodafone Spain follow up their 2024 M&A deals by combining fibre assets.
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Interview
New INCA CEO tells UK altnets to mobilise against common enemy
Industry body recce’d under new CEO, with collaboration and communication identified for rework — including potential Openreach hotline upgrade — despite cloud of consolidation.
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Network & Infrastructure
UK struggles to get space strategy off ground as satellite demand rises
Ofcom data shows satellite connectivity lines doubled in the year, with rural users taking up the offer as an alternative to terrestrial networks.
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Strategy & Change
Zzoomm: capital costs holding back build and consolidation
At INCA Summit Zzoomm’s CEO Matthew Hare predicted a bright future for the sector, but current cost of capital is impeding expansion plans and complicating the path to consolidation.
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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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Public Affairs
Greek incumbent ‘not happy’ over utility rival’s fibre power trip
OTE Group wants Greek telecoms watchdog to intervene to ensure a level playing field between it and utility PPC, as latter prepares a wide-scale (and less regulation-encumbered) fibre roll out programme.