INDUSTRY News
infrastructure, and we hope this framework will reduce the need for that, where Openreach PIA is not available.” Asset owners and seekers can register free of charge with INCA to take advantage of the new venture, which includes access to the standards and the full range of documents that support third party use of existing assets. Through the INCA’s recently signed partnership with AssetHub, users will also be able to access maps which show the location of assets.
UK and potentially reduce further need for completely new ducts and poles. It will also provide asset seekers with a cost- efficient infrastructure solution compared to investing in such assets themselves.” Added Miller: “It also opens up a significant new market opportunity for Altnets, including a slice of the £100m backhaul market in the mobile industry. Asset owners can decide who they wish to share their infrastructure with and the commercial terms. They also have full control over access to their networks and chambers. “We acknowledge the public and government concerns sometimes about construction of new physical
“Pivotal to making this happen has been the establishment of an Infrastructure Sharing Framework that has put in place a common standard product definition, set of terms and conditions, and commercial and legal documents to support this new marketplace. “Not only will this venture enable asset owners to get the best ROI from their infrastructure, it also has the potential to significantly reduce the disruption that comes about from the duplication of telegraph poles and ducts. It has been estimated that there is currently some half a million kilometres of spare fibre capacity that has not previously been easily identified. This will save Altnets money, accelerate fibre deployment across the
https://inca.coop/
UK Telecoms Sector Drives 1.4 Million Underground Asset Searches
surrounding public. The safe digging community is continuing to grow, and it’s clear from our data that more and more people understand the importance of searching before they dig – it’s become an automatic step.” Last year also marked a record number of companies now voluntarily sharing their asset information to protect their pipes and cables, with nine new asset owners joining LSBUD’s growing list of 160 Members, ensuring over 2 million kilometres of underground pipes and cables are protected. Richard Broome continues: “With a record-breaking number of Users and Members now registered on our system, digging has never been safer within the UK. We want to extend our thanks to every company and individual in the telecoms sector who used our services over the last year to ensure the safety of themselves and those around them. However, there is still so much more to do. Just 26% of telecoms operators are currently protecting their assets through a central system, leaving a huge proportion of cables unaccounted for. We would certainly like to see more progress being made in this area, however the momentum is building, which is great to see.” Read the full Digging up Britain 2025 report.
fact, planned works accounted for 78% of all enquiries submitted – the highest proportion since records began. Encouragingly, the number of new people searching before they dig has increased, with 44,273 new Users registered with LSBUD’s portal in the last year – a 38.1% rise in new Users compared with levels just four years ago. Richard Broome, Managing Director at LSBUD, comments: “The telecoms sector has been the most active when it comes to safe digging for several years, and this year is no exception. With a search being placed every five seconds during the traditional working day, the sector is ensuring the safety of workers and the
The telecoms industry performed more than 1.4 million underground asset searches in 2025, making it the biggest contributor to the UK’s safe digging industry. It currently accounts for 37.5% of the 3.9 million searches made across the UK, and sees a search placed every 5 seconds during the average working day, according to Digging up Britain 2025. Launched today, the annual report from LSBUD, which analyses the digging activity across the country, found that people conducting digging work are now much more aware of the need to pre plan and check what’s there before they put a spade or digger in the ground. In
www.lsbud.co.uk
Volume 47 No.4 DECEMBER 2025
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