Zen Internet will be making its entire full fibre footprint available to its channel partners via its soon to launch Fibre Hub, aiming to offer access to the biggest full fibre footprint of any supplier in the UK.
Wed, 16/04/2025 - 11:02
Altnet network coverage Increased +27% year-on-year to reach 16.4m by the end of 2024, according to a new report recently published by Point Topic for INCA, with almost three quarters of a million customers switched to an altnets during the same period.
The seventh report for the Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA), “UK Altnets: Delivering Affordable, High-Speed Connectivity with Unmatched Customer Satisfaction” provides a snapshot of the UK independent network operator sector at the end of 2024.
Key metrics figures published show that network coverage increased by more than 27% year-on, and almost three-quarters of a million customers switched to an altnet during 2024 (this was a 35% growth year-on-year), and 3.68m of these premises were in Ofcom's Area 3, meaning that altnets have delivered full fibre connectivity to nearly a third of UK premises in harder to reach rural areas.
Other figures reveal that BDUK awarded 35 Project Gigabit procurement contracts to 10 altnet operators worth £1.3 billion and covering more than 940,000 premises, and many INCA members have also actively engaged in BDUK’s voucher programme enabling them to extend their commercial build to harder to reach properties.
Paddy Paddison, CEO at INCA commented: “The UK’s independent network operators are not just building networks, they’re building the foundation of a fairer and faster digital United Kingdom.
“This year’s report shows the continued growth of altnets from niche innovators to national competitors: in just a few years, these now reach over a third of UK premises.”
Paddison believes that the upcoming Telecoms Access Review 2026 (TAR26) review will be a pivotal time for these companies; crucially, the decisions made will impact them for many years to come.
“As we approach OFCOM’s TAR26, the decisions that are made now will shape the future of competition in UK telecoms. We cannot allow dominance by legacy operators under the guise of market maturity. To allow for fair competition, altnets need the space to grow, regulatory certainty and above all a level playing field on pricing and access,” he said.
“The UK’s digital future will be won or lost in the next regulatory cycle.”
INCA is pushing to guarantee the altnets and their investors are heard and get “a fair bet”.
“We call on the policymakers, the regulators and the investors to recognise the transformative impact of altnets and to provide a regulatory framework that empowers them,” Paddison added.
With TAR26 defining the rules for the next phase of broadband investment and competition, INCA is working to shape that process, highlighting the need for true infrastructure competition, calling out the risks of Openreach overbuild, and pushing for regulatory reform that reflects the realities of today’s market.
INCA is preparing a full response to the TAR26 consultation with a simple message: a connected country that works for everyone means backing the networks that made it possible and get the policy framework right for the future.
