Optifi – Another New UK Full Fibre Broadband Provider Launches
A new broadband operator called Optifi Limited, which doesn’t yet appear to have a website, has cropped up in the UK market with an ambition to build an open access Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to “serve primarily residential” homes, as well as some commercial properties and related communal facilities.
By the sounds of it the Hertfordshire-based company, which has setup shop in the small town of Tring, intends to build the network and allow separate retail ISPs to sell services over what they build via wholesale. The operator is also seeking Code Powers from Ofcom, which can help to speed-up the deployment of new fibre optic networks and cut costs by reducing the number of licenses needed for street works.
As part of the above Optifi has also indicated their intention to harness Openreach’s existing cable ducts and telegraph poles to run some of their fibre via the related Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. The use of PIA is intended to complement some of their own infrastructure build.
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At this stage we know very little about the new provider, although they intend to target “a significant number of premises currently served by [slow] copper access networks.” One of the bosses involved in this operator is Mark Trojacek, who is also MD of Fibre Options Ltd. and runs broadband ISP Purefibre from a similar address (Pure and Fibre Options use ‘The Courtyard‘, while Optifi use ‘White Cloud House‘ on the same road).
At present Purefibre only appears to serve properties on the Greenwich Peninsula in London. After a bit of digging we also found a second (newer) website for Purefibre (here) at the same address, which looks as if in the future it might serve new build homes at developments in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. One to watch.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Not Optify then?
No Optify is the PCCW owned operator, although while typing the above article I did keep writting “Optify” instead of “Optifi” :).. very irritating.
Director (BUSINESS MANAGER) of FIBRE OPTIONS LIMITED for 28 years
Director (DIRECTOR) of PUREFIBRE INTERNET LIMITED for 4 years
Director (COMPANY DIRECTOR) of OPTIFI LTD for 19 months.
Mark Trojacek, founder of Fibre Options is well respected in the independent sector. They have been installing full fibre networks in both MDUs and rural villages for a number of years.
Ironically The more of these companies that crop up the less likely it is that the most expensive parts of the UK to cable will be served.
How so? I’d be interested in hearing the logic behind that.
You could argue that the smaller Alt Nets demonstrating low deployment costs was what forced BT/OR to look again at its deployment model. There is still a lot of room in rural for cost optimisation.
If they fail they will be bought by another fish – that is the way the market works. If they have hit the holy grail then they will expand and buy up the minows.
Good luck to them all and thank you for trying.
Fibre Options did some great work delivering full fibre at Perseverance Works, Shoreditch, at a time when although surrounded by fibre, fibre access was sold as a private circuit to solve distance problems to exchange only line customers.
At the time it was as difficult to solve this, as getting folk out of bed to bring fibre to Fell End in Cumbria.
Most peculiar stating market failure (non supply of 100Mbps Broadband) when the streets had ample fibre bundles. A ‘reasonable request’ for full fibre is still not defined by Ofcom. The invitation to mis-sell private circuits to solve copper distance problems is on-going.