The UK ISP has established a dedicated company to join the “full-fibre” race in the UK.
Context: TalkTalk had already deployed fibre in York, in what was labelled as a “trial” where TalkTalk and Sky obtained wholesale access from the network.
What’s new? FibreNation now gets in full swing, starting with Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough. This will bring the total footprint to more than 100,000 homes and businesses. TalkTalk and Sky will continue to be wholesale customers of FibreNation.
Next steps: TalkTalk aims to provide an appropriate capital structure to FibreNation. It will not go ahead with the “heads of terms” announced in February 2018, when an independent company was launched, participated by InfraCapital (80%) and TalkTalk itself (20%). Back then, TalkTalk announced a total investment of £1.5bn to provide 3m homes and businesses with FTTP in “mid-sized” towns and cities.
Why is this important? The announcement shows FTTP investment in the UK is clearly on the up. CityFibre and Hyperoptic are investing heavily and providing an alternative to Openreach; FibreNation looks set to be a new player in the increasingly competitive race.
