Nexfibre

Overview

Nexfibre Networks Limited

trade name	Nexfibre
former name	Liberty Fibre Ltd. Liberty Networks Ltd. Virgin Media Networks Ltd.
type	Joint venture
industry	Telecommunications
founded	August 27, 2019
founder	Liberty Global
hq location city	London
hq location country	England, UK
area served	United Kingdom
key people	Rajiv Datta (CEO)‡R1R‡ Fernando Molina (CTIO)‡R1R‡
owners	Infravia Capital (50%) Liberty Global (25%) Telefónica (25%)
website	nexfibre.co.uk

Nexfibre Networks Limited, trading as Nexfibre (stylised as nexfibre), is a British telecommunications network provider that operates a gigabit-capable FTTP broadband network across the United Kingdom. It is a joint venture between Infravia Capital Partners and Opal Jvco Limited (the second joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica, the first being Virgin Media O2).[2][3]

Nexfibre plans to offer open access wholesale provision of its network in the near-future, with Virgin Media currently the only provider to connect customers using the network.[4]

History

Company formation

The company was incorporated as Liberty Fibre Limited with Companies House in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2019, being a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Global. The company was later renamed to Liberty Networks Limited on 22 October 2019.[5]

On 21 December 2020, the control of the company was transferred to Virgin Media O2, a joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica that brought two of the UK's largest telecommunications companies, O2 and Virgin Media, together.[6] The company was subsequently renamed to Virgin Networks Limited on 7 January 2021.[5]

Liberty Global, Telefónica and Infravia joint venture

In July 2022, it was announced Liberty Global and Telefónica had formed a joint venture with Infravia Capital Partners, with the partnership stated to be worth an initial £4.5 billion. It is the second joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica, whilst also being the second joint venture between Liberty Global and Infravia, with the companies having already teamed up to develop a similar fibre optic network in Germany.[2][3][4] As a result of the partnership, Virgin Networks Limited was transferred to Opal Jvco Limited on 21 October 2022. Infravia, through subsidiary Crown Infra Bidco Limited, hold a 50% stake in the company whilst the remaining 50% is held by Opal Holdco Limited, the legal entity behind Liberty Global and Telefónica's joint venture. The company took on its current legal name of Nexfibre Networks Limited on 22 December 2022.[5]

The purpose of the joint venture is to fund the build of a fibre-to-the-property (FTTP) broadband network across the UK, with a focus on connecting premises that are not already served by VMO2's existing infrastructure. Nexfibre intends to have an initial five million premises connected to its network by 2026, with plans to connect an additional two million premises beyond 2026.

Network rollout

In June 2023, VMO2, Nexfibre's anchor wholesale client, launched commercial services using the company's XGS-PON full fibre network.[9] VMO2 later launched a 2 Gbit/s package for eligible customers in February 2024. For an additional cost, the provider offers symmetrical download and upload speeds, making it the first major UK broadband provider to do so.[10] It wasn't, however, the first broadband provider in the UK to offer a symmetric package above 2 Gbit/s, with Blackpool-based provider Yayzi offering a 2.3 Gbit/s service through the CityFibre network.[11] At the time of launch, it was noted that the maximum speed falls short of what other altnets (alternative network providers) such as B4RN (10 Gbit/s), YouFibre (7 Gbit/s) and Community Fibre (3 Gbit/s) currently offer to consumers reached by their networks.[12]

On 17 July 2023, Nexfibre announced it had secured a £250 million commitment from the UK Infrastructure Bank to support its full fibre network rollout. The funds came in addition to £1.4 billion in equity commitments from its owners.[13]

Nexfibre

History

Company formation

Liberty Global, Telefónica and Infravia joint venture

Network rollout

Network milestones

Wholesale access

Wholesale partners

External links

References