INDUSTRY news
INCA Calls On Openreach for Clarity on Investment
has since delivered more than 16 million full-fibre homes across the UK. Paddison has called upon Openreach to be transparent about which homes it claims it cannot invest in so that Altnets can bring forward their own business cases without fear of overbuild. INCA will also be writing to both the Government and Ofcom to set out its concerns and to seek assurances that the UK’s regulatory framework will continue to promote investment, competition, and consumer choice.
“Investors are backing Altnets because they see innovation and delivery, not dependency on regulatory favours. The danger is that Ofcom confuses BT’s investment interests with the UK’s investment interests. The success of the broadband rollout depends on maintaining competition, not cushioning the incumbent. He went on, “Openreach’s threats to reduce investment say more about its struggle to compete than about the regulatory framework itself. The best way to serve consumers and investors alike is to protect the diversity of networks that are already driving real progress. “If Openreach cannot compete on a fair playing field for all, the regulator should not be forced to help them out. Last time Openreach refused to invest, it opened the door to Altnet investment, a move that
The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA), has responded strongly to recent media reports that Openreach may scrap the final phase of its full fibre rollout due to Ofcom’s draft regulatory proposals. Says Paddy Paddison, Chief Executive of INCA: “Openreach’s problem isn’t regulation - it’s competition. Nearly a million customers a year are choosing Altnets over the tired old network operator because they offer better products, better value, and better service. That’s what a functioning market looks like.
https://inca.coop/
Altnet sector unveils new infrastructure sharing venture Move will support use of 500,000km of spare fibre capacity across the UK
benefit of our sector as well as the mobile industry and data centres who will now have access to the assets we’ve invested in to deliver gigabit capable broadband across the UK.
to commercialise the ducts, poles and dark fibre that they own by establishing a common means of sharing their infrastructure with others in the Altnet sector, as well as mobile operators, data centres, tier one carriers and hyperscalers, who are increasingly putting out tenders for ducts to support their own operations. The installation of such infrastructure for the broadband market has, in some areas, caused concerns amongst communities as new poles and ducts have had to be independently installed where sharing existing infrastructure had not been possible. This initiative aims to reduce any further need for duplicate infrastructure deployment by opening up sharing of assets to a wider audience. Says Guy Miller, Chief Executive of Altnet, MS3 Networks, and Chair of INCA’s Infrastructure Sharing Group: “We’re ready to share our infrastructure and maximise the assets we own for the
The UK Altnet sector has created a new infrastructure sharing venture to complement Openreach’s Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) framework and boost revenues of independent broadband network providers, including a slice of the huge mobile and data centre markets. As Altnets continue to build their share of the broadband market after years of investment in full fibre build out – last year saw three quarters of a million customers switch to independent network providers - the industry’s focus is now on making their networks pay. A 20-strong group of Altnets within the Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA), the champion of the independent broadband market, has been establishing the new venture over the last year and a half. It includes the development of an industry framework that will enable asset owners amongst the independent broadband market
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DECEMBER 2025 Volume 47 No.4
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