FibreCos
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Network & Infrastructure
UK’s GoFibre bags £105m in Scottish fibre deal
Altnet scores another round of subsidies to install fibre to additional premises in rural Scotland. Award is the third for Scotland from Project Gigabit, as Building Digital UK seeks to hand out more contracts in the country after a slow start (when compared to England and Wales)…
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People
UK’s National Wealth Fund names new CEO
Oliver Holbourn to lead UK government investment vehicle with new ‘strategic priorities’ as the organisation looks to invest beyond infrastructure for the first time. However, digital infra has remained one of NWF’s key interests with its recent investment activity…
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M&A
Allianz expands European infra portfolio with Yondr stake buy
German financial giant (and Telefónica fibre partner) acquires minority stake, following DigitalBridge and La Caisse’s buyout of data centre operator. Move sees Allianz further expand digital infra investments, which now comprises data centres, fibre, and towers…
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Financial & Performance
CityFibre secures £2.3bn war chest to lead UK altnet scaleup round
UK’s largest altnet finalises funding aimed at accelerating operations and driving fibreco consolidation. The question now is ‘what next for Virgin Media O2, its mothballed NetCo spinout, and nexfibre sidecar?’. Read more…
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Network & Infrastructure
Telxius to collaborate with Google on new US-Spain subsea cable
Telefónica-backed subsea cable operator partners with Google and DC BLOX on a transatlantic route linking Spain to the Azores, Bermuda, and the USA. Move strengthens ties between Telxius and Google, following previous submarine collaborations…
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Network & Infrastructure
Vodafone Greece forms ‘strategic’ infra tie-up with Digital Realty
Greek telco teams up with Digital Realty to construct additional fixed routes between Crete and major cities, among other plans to enhance existing infra on the island. Nikos Plevris, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone Greece, said the deal will bring “new opportunities” for enterprise customers. Read more…
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Partnerships & Alliances
Sky marks CityFibre go-live with 5Gbps launch
UK ISP launches new Full Fibre Gigafast+ offerings, supporting speeds of up to 5Gbps for premises connected to CityFibre’s infrastructure. CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch says the deal will help to “deliver a healthy, competitive market for the long-term”…
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M&A
Telenor seeks Norwegian expansion with GlobalConnect fibre buy
Norwegian telco to acquire B2C division (and associated fibre assets) from GlobalConnect. Telenor said the move forms a “key building block” in strategy to strengthen its Norwegian fibre business, while GlobalConnect seeks to shift its focus onto B2B and wholesale. Read more…
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Interview
Fibrus founder decries PIA “margin squeeze”, calls out Ofcom to fix rural fibre build
Interview: Northern Ireland FibreCo hero says Openreach’s duct and pole sharing terms “just wrong”, undermining rural fibre investment. Outspoken chair Conal Henry proposes “fair bet” pricing overhaul, calls on Ofcom to fix its error in latest sector Review…
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Strategy & Change
Boldyn restructures European biz in strategic rethink
International neutral host player shapes European subsidiary to manage operations in the continent, with the goal of “accelerating market momentum and unlocking new opportunities”. Read more…
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Deep Dive
UK Fibre: altnet optimism vindicated over time as take-up erodes incumbent dominance
In depth: Eight Advisory’s latest Tracker shines light on altnet challenge to Openreach, with mature cohorts reaching parity and fibre insurgency continuing amidst land-grab tactics. TelcoTitan’s analysis explores linear trajectory of upstarts, impact of overbuild, continued testing of investor patience, and whether the UK can truly sustain more than two major platforms…
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Partnerships & Alliances
DNS:NET, Eurofiber forge German open access fibre pact
German fibre duo build on prior collaboration through the Open Access Alliance with a fresh wholesale deal, enabling them to leverage each other’s network infrastructure in Berlin.
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Network & Infrastructure
Project Reach: Freshwave, Neos seek digital infra ‘blueprint’ to power up UK rail
Freshwave and Neos Networks firm up collaboration with Network Rail and UK mobile operators to upgrade fibre and wireless infra along key UK rail routes, with funding from the likes of DigitalBridge, Infracapital, and SSE Group. Work to begin imminently, with pair hoping to develop business model “blueprint” for future deployments…
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Network & Infrastructure
UK’s Freedom Fibre bails out of second Project Gigabit deal
UK altnet becomes latest to cancel rural fibre contract with Building Digital UK, leaving the organisation needing to find another supplier to cover more than 8,500 un-connected premises …
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M&A
TalkTalk ‘scopes out banks’ in strategic review amidst debt struggles
Troubled UK provider reportedly scoping out candidates to manage a strategic review of its business, including potential to sell remaining units PXC and TalkTalk Consumer.
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Financial & Performance
CityFibre closing in on existential £2bn funding — report
Leading UK fibre altnet reportedly close to securing long-anticipated new equity and debt refinancing, to support operations, organic expansion, and M&A consolidator credibility in overcrowded fibre sector. CityFibre says further details to come “shortly”…
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Venturing & Investments
Wessex Internet secures another helping of UK gov fibre funding
The UK government’s National Wealth Fund injects £50m into rural-focused altnet. Combining the cash with prior Project Gigabit wins, Wessex Internet aims to more than triple its current fibre footprint…
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Partnerships & Alliances
Telenet and Proximus near fibre sharing tie-up
Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries says major Belgian telcos are nearing completion on a deal covering fibre build-out and infra-sharing. Discussions mark the latest move in Belgian fibre asset reshaping, as operators seek to give a sorely needed boost to country’s FTTP build-out while stretching out scarce capital.
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Products & Services
CityFibre seeks B2B market share with Ethernet expansion
UK’s largest altnet has made Business Ethernet services available to more than 260,000 enterprises, claiming the expansion will enable its ISP partners to sell services in an “easier and more efficient” manner…
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Network & Infrastructure
VodafoneThree seeks ‘convergence opportunity’ with FWA plan, fibre altnet deal
Newly combined UK mobile giant sees promise in fixed, too, signing Community Fibre agreement to reach a total of 22.5 million FTTP premises. VodafoneThree expects the fixed broadband base to double, while Community Fibre “optimistic” about industry-leading take-up rates…