UK Infra – Page 9
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Products & ServicesIn depth: One Touch Switching launch day
UK’s ‘imperfect’ fixed broadband migration hub debuts to mixed altnet reviews, and incumbent ISP win-back loophole only spotted on launch day. OTS broadly seen by many challengers as open season on majors with poor customer satisfaction, mixed with fears of race to bottom and weakness on multi-play (Sky and VM O2 are both bullish, too). Register to read…
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M&AVirgin Media O2 set to sell another chunk of Cornerstone — report
Operator to shed another 8% of tower JV with GLIL Infrastructure and Vantage, bringing total shareholding down to just above 25%.
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EventwatchVirgin Media O2 and CityFibre question each other’s fibre maths
Connected Britain: VM O2 CEO Lutz Schüler argues operator is taking “challenger” approach in UK’s fibre market, with nexfibre spin-off and upcoming NetCo positioning operator to be a “long-term sustainable partner” to altnets.
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Financial & PerformanceUK altnet Spring Fibre seeks new investors as backers step away
With a near-£14m deficit on its balance sheet, the altnet stated in its FY23 accounts that it was seeking a new investor to support cashflow needs as its principal backer declines to cover plans.
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Network & InfraUK 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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Strategy & ChangeT-Systems UK completes data centre shift to Europe
Deutsche Telekom’s UK enterprise IT unit re-houses data workloads from country to central platforms, as part of wider streamlining effort.
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InterviewUK 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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Network & InfraeuNetworks lands €2.1bn to spend on European data centre comms play
Stonepeak, APG, and IMCO involved as London-based comms infra group completes a revamp of its finance base.
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Venturing & InvestmentsFibrus bags £100m, eyes positive EBITDA in 2025
Fibrus Co-Founder and CEO Dominic Kearns tells TelcoTitans that the operator is focused on its current build plan, growing its retail customer connections (including off-net forays in NI and Cumbria), and achieving the “milestone” of positive EBITDA in 2025.
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PeoplewatchOpenreach 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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Network & InfraCityFibre 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 & InfraTrooli 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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Network & InfraShort-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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Venturing & InvestmentsUK 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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Partnerships & AlliancesMore the merrier: Vodafone and VM O2 add Cellnex to infra-sharing refresh
Freshly renewed infrastructure buddies agree “long-term” deal to access InfraCo’s UK passive tower assets and services. Deal aimed at driving efficiencies, enabling future network scaling. Latest move in Cellnex’s regional consolidation future-proofing…
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Network & InfraProject 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…
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Financial & PerformanceVirgin Media O2 scopes out investment partners for 2025 NetCo launch
Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries says it is looking to finalise financing details this year to bring VM O2’s NetCo online. NetCo progress and fibre build-out puts a cheery note on VM O2’s further weakened performance in Q2, which prompted tweak to financial forecast…
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Venturing & InvestmentsInfracapital: UK FibreCo fundraisers must graft to overcome global ‘bad rep’, new gov showing ‘green shoots’
INCA event provides platform for investors and altnets including Octopus and Netomnia to review early weeks of Labour government, with broad optimism on show despite still rocky funding environment. The capital exists, but what will Downing Street do to bring it to the UK? Read more…
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Financial & PerformanceOpenreach hits halfway mark in UK fibre mega-project
15 million premises now sit within the Openreach FTTP footprint, on track for 30 million by 2030, but a productivity boost is needed if it is to hit its 2026 interim target…
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Venturing & InvestmentsGov-backed UK Infrastructure Bank provides funding to another rural FibreCo
Cornish Wildanet attracts £35m investment from UKIB, days after the bank ploughed £150m into Hyperoptic.