Alternative broadband network builders Zzoomm and FullFibre Limited (Fibre Heroes), both of which have been rolling out multi-gigabit speed capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) ISP networks across different parts of the United Kingdom, have this morning announced that they’ve agreed to merge to create one of the UK’s largest Altnets.
At present Zzoomm’s network, which is home to over 30,000 customers (15%+ take-up) and covers 202,000 premises (RFS), is currently available across parts of around 29 market towns and small urban communities in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Wiltshire and Cheshire. The provider is primarily a vertically integrated operator, which acts as both the network operator and a retail ISP.
By comparison, FullFibre Ltd (including ISP sibling BeFibre) have deployed their open access FTTP network to cover 380,000 UK premises ‘ready for service’ (23rd Aug 2024). The focus of this operator has been on 81 market towns across parts of Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire in England.
The good thing above is that neither operator has any significant overbuild with the other, and both have been looking at consolidation as a way of balancing against the difficult market conditions. This has seen high interest rates, rising build costs and strong competition making it hard to raise fresh investment. But together, the combined group will have 600,000 premises passed (RFS), as well as 65,000+ customers, and a “platform for rapid growth and future M&A” (i.e. more mergers may follow). Enhanced “operational efficiency” is also anticipated (i.e. cost savings).
Matthew Hare, CEO of Zzoomm, said:
“With our clear focus on serving happy customers with brilliant broadband, Zzoomm has delivered for a number of years industry leading organic growth across its network.
We have consistently stated our strategy is to grow organically and by M&A in this fragmented market.
An enlarged business with the operational and financial infrastructure, benefitting from the economies of scale, as well as a management team with an exceptional track record, we will have an excellent platform to combine with other Altnets in the near future as well as driving organic growth faster.”
James Warner, CEO of FullFibre, added:
“This merger represents another significant step in our journey. With a shared commitment to delivering transformational full fibre connectivity with exceptional customer experience, this deal strengthens our collective ability to grow even faster and seize new market opportunities.
For FullFibre, this is our second merger and another milestone in our mission to create a 21st-century digital backbone for the nation. Following our recent successful integration with Digital Infrastructure and BeFibre, this next merger further accelerates our ambitions to lead the market and provide unmatched connectivity to homes, businesses, and wholesale partners alike.”
Under the agreement, which is still subject to final documentation execution and regulatory approval (expected during “early 2025“), Matthew Hare, CEO of Zzoomm, will become Executive Chairman and James Warner, CEO of FullFibre, will be the new Group CEO. The announcement also claims that the new group will “secure funding for new builds“, albeit without announcing any fresh funding or roll-out plans today.
The announcement of such a deal is of course only the first step in what can often be a complicated effort to integrate two separate networks and align their pricing, as well as policies. We’ve seen other altnets taking up to around a year, and sometimes longer, to fully integrate their infrastructure, customers and services.