UK Infra
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Venturing & InvestmentsEquinix ploughs £3.9bn into UK data centre build
International data centre operator acquires work-in-progress Hertfordshire site, with plans to develop more than 250MW of IT capacity in the future. Equinix’s move is the latest multibillion-pound investment in UK data centres, with several others seen in recent years…
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M&ANetomnia takeout rumours: first billion-dollar M&A for UK fibre?
Deep dive: Reports suggest Netomnia is in play, with cashed-up nexfibre/VM O2 and CityFibre tagged as frontrunners in the race to build a national fibre challenger to Openreach. TelcoTitans Infrawatch explores the backdrop, leading players (including Liberty Global and Telefónica), netco-servco dichotomy, and likeliest outcomes…
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Partnerships & AlliancesVirgin Media O2 ties with Starlink on direct-to-device services
Operator to launch its first direct-to-device satellite services in partnership with the US LEO constellation provider, deepening the pair’s existing relationship while seeking to keep pace with rivals already exploring the segment…
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Financial & PerformanceEquity vs debt: who blinks first in UK fibre consolidation showdown?
In-depth: While sector consolidation presents complexity for altnets seeking to evolve, challenges faced by financial backers invested through equity and loan facilities should not be underestimated.
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Strategy & ChangeUK’s Netomnia targets ISP giants with YouMobile MVNO
Fibre altnet and wannabe convergence player set to launch mobile by the end of the year, piggybacking on the VodafoneThree network. CFO Wil Wadsworth and CEO Jeremy Chelot have sights set on the UK’s FMC establishment…
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M&AJersey and Isle of Man telcos combine to drive scale
Operator Jersey Telecom partners with investment group CVC DIF to acquire the Isle of Man’s largest telco, aligning with its expansion strategy…
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PeopleBoldyn CEO Leprince bids farewell to neutral host player
Leprince signals departure plan in a move described as a “highly emotional decision”, as he reflected on Boldyn’s transformation and accomplishments during his tenure. Search for successor kicked-off.
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InterviewINCA CEO: ‘job done’ when altnets join Openreach as industry ‘baddies’
INCA Summit 2025: With consolidation looming and the next Telecoms Access Review on the horizon, the UK’s fibre landscape is at a tipping point. Altnets, however, are still reeling from (pantomime) villain Openreach’s latest pricing initiative, with disappointment at Ofcom inertia, and suspicion the incumbent is testing what it can get away with…
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InterviewVoneus ‘plays chicken’ with banks and secures new funding
INCA Summit 2025: Macquarie and Voneus director Oliver Bradley indicates terms were renegotiated on Voneus’s existing £70m debt facility, and stakeholders injected further funds to secure the altnet’s future.
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Network & InfraEurope moots UK tech tie-up on new-gen IRIS² satellite system
European Space Agency official signals openness to UK direct involvement in €10bn+ IRIS2 regional satellite mega-project and Starlink rival, which also has a defence aspect…
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PeopleDigital Infra Peoplewatch: DigitalBridge names data centre leader; Open Dutch Fiber recruits ops boss
October 2025 edition: Alpen Glasfaser, Open Dutch Fiber, and the newly created PremiumFiber name top-level leadership; data centre players Colt, Raxio, and Vantage recruit senior finance experts; France’s TDF continues C-suite revamp; more…
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M&A‘We need to get on with it’: nexfibre boss wants to see altnet acquisition action
Fibreco chief suggests some investors will have to swallow losses on altnets as the industry goes into consolidation mode.
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Financial & PerformanceAs lenders wobble on UK fibre, should altnets brace for potential write-downs?
FTTH Congress CEE: ING warns that lender peers are weighing up debt write-downs as UK and European fibrecos fail to deliver on business case promises. Altnet leaders warn that investors are ‘scarred’ by past shortcomings, but can be reconvinced…
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Network & InfraOpenreach expands role as Project Gigabit contract sweeper-upper
Openreach picks up Project Gigabit premises previously allocated to UK altnet Voneus, seeing the incumbent add another lot of homes to its Call-Off collection…
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Public Affairs‘Enormously aggressive’: nexfibre leads altnet complaints against Openreach copper-to-fibre discounting
Connected Britain 2025: As Openreach pulls levers to combat massive broadband losses, and drive fibre adoption alongside, altnet leaders have called out the discount pricing strategy as unsustainable. nexfibre execs have called it an exploitation of the incumbent’s significant market powers, CityFibre warns of structure advantage, plus views from other altnets, rivals…
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Financial & PerformanceEutelsat shareholders inject funds to cut debt, boost LEO buildout
Satellite operator’s Board of Directors given the go-ahead for capital increase at Annual General Meeting, with plans to utilise funding to deleverage and advance satellite constellation ambitions.
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Network & InfraExtra millions flow to UK fibrecos as Project Gigabit contracts updated
CityFibre once again sees a boost to a Project Gigabit contract value as Leicestershire & Warwickshire deal is updated and geographically expanded, becoming the latest fibreco to benefit from Project Gigabit perimeter adjustments…
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InnovationOpenreach taps VR startup for 3D fibre planning
Openreach adds another weapon to its fibre building arsenal through Glasgow startup, using VR mapping to accelerate the cable routing process.
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Strategy & ChangeFrom upstart to fibre-mobile powerhouse: Netomnia CEO plots BT take-down
Connected Britain: Jeremy Chelot refreshes provocative vision for fibreco segment, with fixed-mobile convergence latest outcome of choice. The ultimate prize could be a scaled altnet merging with VodafoneThree, or a new MNO — creating a new heavyweight contender to BT/Openreach…
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Strategy & ChangeGrain skewers wholesale model as altnets ponder consolidation
At Connected Britain the UK’s largest fibre platforms called on investors and smaller players to accept the inevitability of consolidation. Niche challenger Grain rebutted the assumption that scale is now critical, and instead called into question the foundations of current wholesale‑led models.