Consolidation in the UK fibre operator market

Zzoomm merged with FullFibre in March 2025, creating Altnet Partners, a UK alternative network operator.  Altnet Partners has a footprint of 600,000 homes and businesses across 100 market towns in the UK, and serves over 75,000 customers with fabulous full fibre broadband.

Objective:

Review of the drivers of consolidation in the UK fibre market and discussion of possible future outcomes.

Content of the Session:

• What is the structure of the UK fibre operator market?
• Who are the key players?
• Why will the UK fibre operator market consolidate?
• How will this consolidation happen?
• When will the early trickle of consolidation turn into a flood?
• What is the impact for investors and lenders?
• Implications for the incumbent (BT) and cable operator (VMO2)

Workshop Host – Matthew Hare

Matthew is the Executive Chairman of Altnet Partners, the full fibre operator created by the merger of FullFibre and Zzoomm in March 2025. Prior to the merger, Matthew was the founder and Chief Executive of full fibre operator Zzoomm plc.  Matthew founded Zzoomm at the end of 2018, following the sale of rural full fibre operator Gigaclear to Infracapital in May 2018, a company he had founded in 2010.

Matthew was involved in network, wireless, data and telephony businesses including Vodafone, Millicom, Orange UK, Liberty Communications, ts.com and Community Internet Group.

In 2018, Matthew was awarded an OBE for services to Broadband provision in the UK, was selected by the FTTH Council as European Fibre Executive of the year and was awarded UK Internet Services Executive of the year by ISPA.…