Whole altnet thing in UK is a total debacle
Lord knows why govt/Ofcom decided to structure industry this way - barking mad
Multiple sub scale businesses with often incompatible tech over and under building in name of supposed competition - grotesquely inefficient
on.ft.com/4lp7eLh
Lord knows why govt/Ofcom decided to structure industry this way - barking mad
Multiple sub scale businesses with often incompatible tech over and under building in name of supposed competition - grotesquely inefficient
on.ft.com/4lp7eLh
UK government ‘anxious’ altnets could collapse, Liberty Global boss says
Mike Fries claims business secretary Jonathan Reynolds wants big telecoms companies to rescue struggling altnets
on.ft.com
June 14, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Whole altnet thing in UK is a total debacle
Lord knows why govt/Ofcom decided to structure industry this way - barking mad
Multiple sub scale businesses with often incompatible tech over and under building in name of supposed competition - grotesquely inefficient
on.ft.com/4lp7eLh
Lord knows why govt/Ofcom decided to structure industry this way - barking mad
Multiple sub scale businesses with often incompatible tech over and under building in name of supposed competition - grotesquely inefficient
on.ft.com/4lp7eLh
Altnets told to stop digging and start stuffing fiber through abandoned pipes
Altnets told to stop digging and start stuffing fiber through abandoned pipes
Why churn up roads when there's thousands of miles of disused infrastructure underfoot?
Network operators laying fiber infrastructure could cut their costs by taking advantage of "thousands of miles" of abandoned infrastructure, including gas and…
dlvr.it
March 3, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Altnets told to stop digging and start stuffing fiber through abandoned pipes
UK’s broadband ‘altnets’ need some serious rewiring ft.trib.al/vtYC3FQ | opinion
UK’s broadband ‘altnets’ need some serious rewiring
Even with the benefits of merging, it is hard to see the numbers stacking up
ft.trib.al
January 22, 2026 at 1:06 PM
UK’s broadband ‘altnets’ need some serious rewiring ft.trib.al/vtYC3FQ | opinion
Good FT article on the UK’s fibre altnets.
UK altnets count cost of ‘gold rush’ end after collective losses surpass £1bn on.ft.com/4j6rAIz
UK altnets count cost of ‘gold rush’ end after collective losses surpass £1bn on.ft.com/4j6rAIz
UK altnets count cost of ‘gold rush’ end after collective losses surpass £1bn
Alternative network providers under pressure to demonstrate they can be profitable businesses not just builders
on.ft.com
January 5, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Good FT article on the UK’s fibre altnets.
UK altnets count cost of ‘gold rush’ end after collective losses surpass £1bn on.ft.com/4j6rAIz
UK altnets count cost of ‘gold rush’ end after collective losses surpass £1bn on.ft.com/4j6rAIz
Just had a leaflet from EE through my door breathlessly telling me that full fibre has arrived in my road and that I can have up to 1gb for ... £41 a month. My dears, the altnets have been here for ages and are way cheaper: I have 1gb for £25 with Community Fibre, ta.
August 23, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Just had a leaflet from EE through my door breathlessly telling me that full fibre has arrived in my road and that I can have up to 1gb for ... £41 a month. My dears, the altnets have been here for ages and are way cheaper: I have 1gb for £25 with Community Fibre, ta.
The FTTP altnets will probably end up shaking out at some point, but for now if you're in an area any of them have cabled up, switching away from the legacy ISPs is a no-brainer. I'm paying Community Fibre £25 a month for 1gb up and down. Hit me up if you'd like a referral code.
Eugh, loyalty penalty rip-offs are so tedious. BT have hiked my broadband bill to £50 and when I search for alternatives they hide them all, except the more expensive ones. When I open a private browser window I get offered *the same deal* for £38.99 a month.
April 8, 2025 at 4:47 PM
The FTTP altnets will probably end up shaking out at some point, but for now if you're in an area any of them have cabled up, switching away from the legacy ISPs is a no-brainer. I'm paying Community Fibre £25 a month for 1gb up and down. Hit me up if you'd like a referral code.
Broadband’s tiny barbarians gather at BT’s gate https://on.ft.com/3IzC85l | opinion
Broadband’s tiny barbarians gather at BT’s gate
Altnets can build out networks but need to muster the scale and customers to sustain them
on.ft.com
July 17, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Broadband’s tiny barbarians gather at BT’s gate https://on.ft.com/3IzC85l | opinion
absolutely check to see if any of the altnets - Community Fibre etc - are in your area. They are a million times better than legacy providers like bloody BT and its various offspring www.uswitch.com/broadband/po...
October 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM
absolutely check to see if any of the altnets - Community Fibre etc - are in your area. They are a million times better than legacy providers like bloody BT and its various offspring www.uswitch.com/broadband/po...
VMO2 and Altnets risk hastening deregulation of Openreach's UK broadband - News By ISPreview.co.uk #FTTP #OfcomRegulation #Openreach
<a href="https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html
<a href="https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html
September 21, 2026 at 4:04 PM
VMO2 and Altnets risk hastening deregulation of Openreach's UK broadband - News By ISPreview.co.uk #FTTP #OfcomRegulation #Openreach
<a href="https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html
<a href="https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/vmo2-and-altnets-risk-hastening-deregulation-of-openreachs-uk-broadband.html
UK gives Openreach £289M for 4 rural broadband contracts in 'gigabit by 2030' push
UK gives Openreach £289M for 4 rural broadband contracts in 'gigabit by 2030' push
Nation's dominant broadband plumber wins ahead of altnets
The UK government has signed contracts with BT Group's Openreach worth upwards of £289 million ($363 million) for the further build-out of fiber infrastructure to serve more rural areas as part…
dlvr.it
January 7, 2025 at 11:08 AM
UK gives Openreach £289M for 4 rural broadband contracts in 'gigabit by 2030' push
any of the altnets in darkest Battersea? This is Community Fibre in Fulham
September 9, 2024 at 2:06 PM
any of the altnets in darkest Battersea? This is Community Fibre in Fulham
Signed up to Lightspeed (an altnet) yesterday; they came and fitted the cable today. Meanwhile been trying for years to get Openreach or Virgin Media to fit FTTP and have had to endure FTTC. It's no wonder Openreach is losing market share to the altnets is it really?
January 14, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Signed up to Lightspeed (an altnet) yesterday; they came and fitted the cable today. Meanwhile been trying for years to get Openreach or Virgin Media to fit FTTP and have had to endure FTTC. It's no wonder Openreach is losing market share to the altnets is it really?
UK's smaller broadband operators face tough road ahead, consolidation possible
UK's smaller broadband operators face tough road ahead, consolidation possible
Report into alternative networks says competition with BT and co making life harder than ever
Alternative network providers (altnets) are facing tough competition from the big players in the UK broadband market, with consolidation likely in the face of slowing growth in fiber internet uptake.…
dlvr.it
May 2, 2025 at 11:31 AM
UK's smaller broadband operators face tough road ahead, consolidation possible
Altnets join forces to share an alternative to Openreach PIA
Altnets join forces to share an alternative to Openreach PIA
A group of 20 altnets within INCA have decided to join forces and establish an asset sharing framework that will work in a similar way to Openreach’s PIA (Physical Infrastructure Access). The companies have been working on developing an industry framework to enable altnets to commercialise ducts, poles and fibre to allow other operators to […]
The post Altnets join forces to share an alternative to Openreach PIA appeared first on thinkbroadband.
www.thinkbroadband.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Altnets join forces to share an alternative to Openreach PIA
I’ve been going through this (although I own share of freehold) and thinking of the complexity that Openreach and the AltNets (Community Fibre etc) face cabling blocks and, especially, houses converted into multiple flats with complex tenure.
Hell of an impact on productivity.
Same with heatpumps.
Hell of an impact on productivity.
Same with heatpumps.
January 27, 2026 at 8:12 AM
I’ve been going through this (although I own share of freehold) and thinking of the complexity that Openreach and the AltNets (Community Fibre etc) face cabling blocks and, especially, houses converted into multiple flats with complex tenure.
Hell of an impact on productivity.
Same with heatpumps.
Hell of an impact on productivity.
Same with heatpumps.
Yeah. I wonder how well they'll do here, as a couple of altnets have been here for a while
August 23, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Yeah. I wonder how well they'll do here, as a couple of altnets have been here for a while
Enders Analysis Warns Largest UK Broadband Altnets Lost £1.5bn in 2024 - News By ISPreview.co.uk #BT #Business #FTTP #Openreach #Statistics
www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/20...
www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/20...
November 24, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Enders Analysis Warns Largest UK Broadband Altnets Lost £1.5bn in 2024 - News By ISPreview.co.uk #BT #Business #FTTP #Openreach #Statistics
www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/20...
www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/20...
“Investors are now demanding a yield of almost 9 per cent to hold the company’s long-dated debt.” Ouch giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Virgin Media O2 bonds slide as broadband rivals squeeze cash flow
Virgin Media O2 bonds slide as broadband rivals squeeze cash flow
Telecoms group’s bonds tumble as altnets take market share and investors fret over £2bn Netomnia deal
giftarticle.ft.com
June 29, 2026 at 7:30 PM
“Investors are now demanding a yield of almost 9 per cent to hold the company’s long-dated debt.” Ouch giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Virgin Media O2 bonds slide as broadband rivals squeeze cash flow
the altnets (Community Fibre, Hyperoptic etc) are laying cable like mad. If you haven't checked recently, worth doing so again now.
October 21, 2025 at 12:25 PM
the altnets (Community Fibre, Hyperoptic etc) are laying cable like mad. If you haven't checked recently, worth doing so again now.
With news of even more tech companies deciding to fund DHH and Omarchy, I decided to take a look again at alternative (and perhaps better) visions of the Internet which already exist.
We are not as bound to complicit systems as the systems would like you to think.
brennan.day/oldnets-and-...
We are not as bound to complicit systems as the systems would like you to think.
brennan.day/oldnets-and-...
Oldnets and Altnets: A Guide to Building a Low-Spec Daily Internet Out of Gemini, Gopher, and Terminal Tools
Reacting to the Omarchy and DigitalOcean news, I set out a curated low-spec, text-first alternative to the modern web: Gemini, Gopher, Spartan, Lynx-friend…
brennan.day
September 10, 2026 at 12:11 AM
With news of even more tech companies deciding to fund DHH and Omarchy, I decided to take a look again at alternative (and perhaps better) visions of the Internet which already exist.
We are not as bound to complicit systems as the systems would like you to think.
brennan.day/oldnets-and-...
We are not as bound to complicit systems as the systems would like you to think.
brennan.day/oldnets-and-...
Broadband is up for renewal next month. Anybody got any recommendations? Would like static IPv6 & IPv4. 500Mbps+ and must be on Openreach (no Altnets here apart from Vermin Media).
June 17, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Broadband is up for renewal next month. Anybody got any recommendations? Would like static IPv6 & IPv4. 500Mbps+ and must be on Openreach (no Altnets here apart from Vermin Media).
Altnets told to stop digging and start stuffing #fibre through abandoned pipes - www.theregister.com/2025/03/03/a... "Why churn up roads when there's thousands of miles of disused infrastructure underfoot?" seems a no-brainer
Altnets told to dig into abandoned pipes for fiber shortcut
Why churn up roads when there's thousands of miles of disused infrastructure underfoot?
www.theregister.com
March 3, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Altnets told to stop digging and start stuffing #fibre through abandoned pipes - www.theregister.com/2025/03/03/a... "Why churn up roads when there's thousands of miles of disused infrastructure underfoot?" seems a no-brainer
The CEO of Liberty Global has claimed business secretary Jonathan Reynolds is “anxious” for large telecoms companies to buy the UK’s struggling “altnet” broadband providers over fears many could collapse and leave customers without internet…
More here:
on.ft.com/4jLfeVu
More here:
on.ft.com/4jLfeVu
UK government ‘anxious’ altnets could collapse, Liberty Global boss says
[FREE TO READ] Mike Fries claims business secretary Jonathan Reynolds wants big telecoms companies to rescue struggling altnets
on.ft.com
June 13, 2025 at 7:35 AM
The CEO of Liberty Global has claimed business secretary Jonathan Reynolds is “anxious” for large telecoms companies to buy the UK’s struggling “altnet” broadband providers over fears many could collapse and leave customers without internet…
More here:
on.ft.com/4jLfeVu
More here:
on.ft.com/4jLfeVu
Are there examples of fibre operators going out of business & customers losing service? Surely, better for receivers to keep service alive & sell the firm as a going concern.
These players would re-emerge with lower costs (as debt would be wiped out). Not great for competitors.
on.ft.com/3ToFQRg
These players would re-emerge with lower costs (as debt would be wiped out). Not great for competitors.
on.ft.com/3ToFQRg
UK government ‘anxious’ altnets could collapse, Liberty Global boss says
Mike Fries claims business secretary Jonathan Reynolds wants big telecoms companies to rescue struggling altnets
on.ft.com
June 16, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Are there examples of fibre operators going out of business & customers losing service? Surely, better for receivers to keep service alive & sell the firm as a going concern.
These players would re-emerge with lower costs (as debt would be wiped out). Not great for competitors.
on.ft.com/3ToFQRg
These players would re-emerge with lower costs (as debt would be wiped out). Not great for competitors.
on.ft.com/3ToFQRg