FullFibre Limited’s Post

The UK's altnet fibre broadband provider space is heating up.  CityFibre, a major player in the alternative network provider market, has just acquired Lit Fibre in an all-share deal. This move expands CityFibre's footprint by a significant 300,000 premises, solidifying its position as a significant competitor to Openreach. CityFibre's acquisition follows hot on the heels of a string of similar transactions, including its purchases of FibreNation, Entanet, KCOM, and Redcentric's national networks. This consolidation suggests a fast maturing market that has long been forecast. This has been seen as a natural evolution for the market that has long been seen as ruinously expensive and in many cases simply meant that many providers covered (literally) the same ground. The return on investment was simply not there for so many providers in the same geography and this consolidation is long overdue. However, some concerns may start to emerge: ⚪ Impact on innovation: Will consolidation stifle innovation in the altnet space? ⚪ Price competition: Will consolidation ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers? At the moment, it is clear that economics is trumping strategy and policy but there will be a point where regulators are keen to ensure the market structure continues to support the policy ambitions. It’s a long way off though. #Telecoms #Altnet #Fibre #CityFibre #Consolidation

The benefits of public-private partnerships are clear here at ITS, but what makes them work? 💭 In his contribution to the below article with Fibre Provider, our Head of Public Sector, Andrew Bell, states that engagement and collaboration from the beginning, alongside a proper understanding and education on the benefits of digital transformation, are critical. We're incredibly proud of our existing public sector partnerships, including the first UK concession agreement with Hammersmith and Fulham, our joint ventures with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to form LCRConnect, and DG Cities to form Digital Greenwich Connect. For more information on how we can work with you to unlock the potential of your communities, click here: https://lnkd.in/ePkuSTsc #JointVenture #DigitalInclusion #SmartCities #FullFibre #DigitalInfrastructure

From The Highlands of Scotland to the villages of Cornwall, Britain is in the midst of a full-fibre frenzy, with dozens of smaller providers – so-called altnets – running fibre to the doors. The full fibre expansion comes alongside a shift in how these services are sold. For years, broadband has been bundled with other products, such as television, landline, and mobile phone packages. But the bundles are beginning to unravel. While customers might reap the benefits of cheap gigabit fibre connections for a few years to come, there are doubts over how long the British broadband boom can last. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g7FyDGBs #BritishBroadbandBoom #FibreExpansion

Parts of rural Wales can now benefit from fast and reliable mobile coverage helping to boost economic growth and bridge the digital divide in remote areas. The first of 86 UK government-funded 4G masts have been switched on as part of joint plan with telecoms firms to deliver mobile connectivity across 95 per cent of the UK landmass. Existing masts have been upgraded to deliver 4G cover while limiting the visual impact of the programme, delivering on the Government’s long term plan. https://lnkd.in/eub-Y3mS

First Customer Live on CityFibre’s Cambridgeshire Project Gigabit Broadband Build CityFibre have announced that the first customer has just gone live on their new full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network in Cambridgeshire (England) under the £69m state aid supported Project Gigabit rollout contract (Lot 5), which began its construction phase back in February 2024 (contract was awarded in March 2023). The original contracted announcement stated that a total of “around” 45,000 premises (hard-to-reach homes and businesses) in the county are ultimately expected to be covered by the new digital infrastructure (here). But the operator has previously stated that this deployment will also unlock a further £53m of commercial funding, which will separately enable them to reach a further 170,000 premises in the same county (total of 215,000): https://lnkd.in/g_u2ZaeY #ispreview #broadband #telecoms #networks #gigabit #cityfibre #cambs

It was so fun to get back on stage at a big live event like #connectedbritain! There's been a very strong reception to our new product Sitetracker GIS Link already and I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on boosting fibre deployment efficiency and some of the trends in the #uk market. Did you know? 💻 There has been a 52% increase of full fibre lines in the UK market facilitating a 6% increase in broadband monthly data usage.   🏚 Because the government has set aggressive 2025 targets for Gigabit capable networks and there is a surge in private funding based on expected future demand, we’re seeing over 80 altnets in the market creating competition.  🎮 Overbuild means there may be as many as 80 million full-fibre #connectivity options for the UK's 31 million homes by 2030, but one million homes may be overlooked while 3 million homes will have 5 providers to choose from. Digital inclusion is key!  

Openreach has announced a further 517 UK locations to upgrade to full fibre in their latest build plans. Recently, we wrote about how Openreach is building at an outrageous rate of 78,000 properties per week, so it's not all too surprising that they've added over 500 new towns and villages to tackle. Clive Selley said “We’re on track and on budget to make this life-changing broadband technology available to 25 million homes and businesses,” he said. “No company is building faster or further in Europe, that we’re aware of." Not only are they building at an alarming rate, but they also mentioned they are currently taking over 50,000 orders for full fibre PER week! Is that more orders than all altnets combined? Absolutely. BUT - bear in mind, many of these orders will be "upgrades". Existing customers of Openreach ISPs (like BT Group, Vodafone, Sky & TalkTalk), would have had an FTTC or ADSL2 , so upgrading with you're existing provider is far easier than trying to "convert" an end user across to a new network. I have no doubt that number will include business customers, too. Either way, the numbers are astonishing. This map puts into perspective how much of the UK they already cover. Will they hit 25 million homes and businesses by 2026? Yes. Yes, they will. Hat's off to the powerhouse that is Openreach 👏 Full article in the comments.