Fibre Provider's Weekly Update

Fibre Provider enables the spectrum of organisations driving the UK’s fibre rollout to keep up to date with the latest commercial, regulatory and planning news. As part of this mission, our weekly newsletter compiles the top news that broke during the week and brings it straight to your inbox.

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In this week's news...

Sky Business signs long-term agreement with ITS

Sky Business can now access ITS ’s full fibre infrastructure through a new long-term supply agreement.

Through the partnership, Sky Business will launch business Ethernet services using the ITS network which is currently ready to serve more than 25% of all UK commercial premises.

The partnership builds on the existing relationship Sky Business and ITS forged in 2020, which allows ITS to deliver business connectivity services using Sky’s infrastructure.

Damian Saunders , MD, Sky Business Hospitality, Mid-Market & Wholesale said: “This partnership agreement with ITS will enable us to expand our reach and introduce a new offering to deliver a robust network experience for more businesses across the UK.”

Daren Baythorpe , CEO at ITS added: “We have invested heavily in our full fibre infrastructure which has been designed and is being rolled out specifically to serve businesses across the UK.

“Driving business full fibre uptake through Tier 1 partners is at the heart of our growth strategy.”

Quickline expands leadership team with three executives

Quickline Communications Limited has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of three executives to help drive its next phase of growth.

Julian Burton will take up the newly created position of CRO, with accountability across customer acquisition, connection and retention.

With 24 years of experience in the telecoms and technology sectors, Julian has held senior commercial and sales roles at companies such as Digicel, O2, Tesco, CPW, and Vodafone.

Julia Dettmar has been appointed into the role of General Counsel and Company Secretary, where she leads corporate governance and legal affairs.

She has more than 20 years of experience?including?more than a decade at Cable?& Wireless and?Vodafone UK.

Dan Hague , appointed as Project Gigabit Delivery Director, played a key role in submitting the bids for the Project Gigabit contract and is now responsible for overseeing them.

He has a wealth of experience and a comprehensive background in fibre and telecoms, having held senior positions at GoFibre, Hyperoptic, Cityfibre and BT Openreach.

Strategic Imperatives launches Elevate for ISPs

Strategic Imperatives has created a purpose-built iteration of its billing and subscription software Elevate for the use of wholesale and retail ISPs.

Elevate for ISPs will automate the way ISPs manage traditionally complex pricing structures and contracts and transforms the way ISPs acquire, retain and monetise their customers.

Wail Sabbagh , MD at Strategic Imperatives, said: “To keep up with customer expectations, ISPs must embrace the critical importance of effective billing.

“This requires a proactive approach to billing and subscriptions, putting it at the forefront of their growth strategies.”

The automated software also ensures One Touch Switching compliance and includes Direct Debit integration through Strategic Imperatives’ partnership with GoCardless.

Fibre Forecast sessions - Autumn programme

Fibreprovider.net are pleased to announce details of our sponsored programme of ‘Fibre Forecasts’, providing fibreprovider.net readers with insights into the challenges, opportunities, strategies, and technologies shaping the UK fibre sector in 2025 and beyond.

These roundtable sessions bring together industry experts to discuss the key issues and innovations driving the UK fibre sector. The insights gained from these discussions form a crucial part of our editorial calendar, appearing on FibreProvider.net, our weekly newsletter, and across social media.

Participants sponsors will have the unique opportunity to showcase their thought leadership and industry expertise.

Fibre Forecast Programme for Autumn 2024

• Assessing Wholesale Model Benefits - Exploring how the wholesale landscape is evolving & how altnets can increase customer take-up by leveraging a balanced wholesale portfolio.
• Evolving Recruitment Priorities- How is the sector finding talent as altnets shift from build engines to sales and marketing organisations? Do skill shortages still plague the sector and how can they be navigated.
• Embedding Efficiency - What partnerships can be leveraged by altnets to build efficiency into their continued build or customer addition processes.

For details on how to participate contact Simon Turton or Heather Miles for details.

nexfibre to connect 1,000 UK youth centres

nexfibre will connect 1,000 youth centres to fibre free of charge for the next two years through its partnership with charity UK Youth.

The collaboration aims to provide critical support to youth organisations and the nearly 570,000 young people who currently lack access to essential learning devices and reliable internet at home.

Our CEO, Rajiv Datta , said: “By helping to provide access to quality connectivity to all, particularly areas previously under-served, we’re not only supporting digital inclusion but also driving innovation and economic growth across the UK.

“This partnership is an important step in fulfilling our responsibility to the communities we serve and helping the UK realise its full digital potential.”

Wessex kicks off Project Gigabit contract

Wessex Internet ’s mole ploughs have broken ground in Stapleford as the altnet begins its physical work to deliver fibre to 14,500 homes and businesses in south Wiltshire.

This work is part of a ￡18.8m Project Gigabit contract awarded to Wessex in March and will be delivered over the next five years.

It will see the altnet expand its existing network in the Wylye Valley, going across the Salisbury Plain, connecting villages surrounding Amesbury, and going as far north as Chisbury and Little Bedwyn. The first communities to be connected will be Stapleford, Wylye and Bapton.?

Wessex has also reached a significant milestone in delivering its first Project Gigabit project in the North Dorset area, with more than 50% of the properties in this contract now connected.

CEO Hector Gibson Fleming said: “Wessex Internet is determined to continue our mission delivering ultrafast broadband to rural communities that would otherwise be left behind by traditional providers.”

“We will continue working closely with the residents and businesses across these two contract areas, involving them in our planning process.”

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you back here next Friday for the latest news update. Be sure to subscribe at the top of this newsletter to get your copy.