APFN Stays Silent on Restricted Access to Own UK FTTP Broadband Network
Nearly a year will have soon passed since alternative broadband operator All Points Fibre Networks (APFN), which is backed by Fern Trading, announced that they’d completed the consolidation of their three own-built full fibre networks (here) – Giganet, Jurassic Fibre and Swish Fibre. But bizarrely it’s still not possible for new customers to sign-up in areas where the network is present.
In case anybody has forgotten, the three gigabit-speed altnets were all ultimately consolidated under the control of APFN’s wholesale platform, while their associated (existing) retail customers ended up being sent to UK ISP Cuckoo, which forms part of the same group (the same group also own another ISP called Brillband). Take note that APFN also supplies wholesale access via various other network operators too (off-net) via their Aquila platform.
However, despite Fern Trading having sunk hundreds of millions of pounds into building their own FTTP broadband network, APFN have continued to prevent new customers from actually being able to sign-up to it and this can create some awkward problems. Not to mention the negative impact upon revenue generation from leaving a built asset like this to languish.
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Take, for example, the situation in the Dorset town of Ferndown, where a fair portion of the area was originally covered by FTTP from Giganet a few years ago (now part of APFN). Some other operators, such as Trooli, Openreach and Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), have since built their own full fibre to parts of this town, but there are still a fair few areas where only APFN’s fibre network is present.
Over the past year we’ve heard complaints from a number of people who have been looking to move into these sorts of areas and get FTTP over APFN’s network, only to then be left confused by the situation. The example below is just one of several such complaints that have come our way over the past 1-2 years, which illustrates the problem.
Henry, a future resident of Ferndown, told ISPreview:
“The current owners [of the house we’re in the process of purchasing] have an FTTP service with Cuckoo provided via telegraph pole, the road is a very short private access gravel drive. From enquiries, we understand the existing owners had this provided by Giganet which was then taken over by Cuckoo.
I contacted Cuckoo to see what was involved in taking over the FTTP supply and was told a flat no, we cannot supply that address. When I told them they were supplying someone right now there was some confusion (the normal caveats of myself not being the owner etc. applied to the conversation). I informed them that the existing customers were ex-Giganet and the assistant said something about pausing any new services to ex-Giganet customers.
You can imagine the frustration that has caused since as things stand we will be unable to receive FTTP broadband for the foreseeable, only FTTC [via Openreach]. Not only frustration but utter bewilderment, here is a company with a functioning service seemingly deliberately retiring it despite the fact that they would still provide that service if the current owners stayed on – I had to read that back it is so bizarre.”
We have reported on and raised these issues with APFN before, although thus far nobody has ever been able to clearly articulate a response as to why the network remains locked to new customers. The company also declined to comment on today’s article when we asked, which doesn’t fill us with confidence for the future.
Often times such delays can be down to the need to develop new ordering systems and processes post-consolidation. But even if that were the case (they’ve offered no such explanation), in those examples it’s usually still possible to sign-up over the phone (manually) and in this case there instead seems to be no desire from Cuckoo/APFN to even entertain new customers. It’s a head scratcher.
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Back in May 2025 there was some talk about APFN possibly putting themselves or their network up for sale (here), although Fern Trading responded at the time to say APFN “is not for sale“ and there’s been no new developments on that front since then. In any case, such talks would not be a reason to shelve commercialisation of the network, which might otherwise be able to help grow some much-needed revenues.
Suffice to say that the situation around APFN’s on-net fibre network remains no clearer than it was last spring and we’re struggling to see the grander strategy.
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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Let’s not forget it is almost entirely using PIA so they would be paying Openreach for the rental .
Thanks Mark for covering this. What an utter shambles. The longer this carries on, the more they get overbuilt (They have been considerably overbuilt in Banbury by F&W and Nexfibre as well as Openreach) and they’ve probably got passed the point where they are likely to get traction here now even if they got the network working tomorrow (Openreach seem to have 60% + takeup and F&W/Hey Broadband seem to have a decent amount of take up too). Unfortunately Nexfibre & F&W don’t pass our house.
I did have it on good authority a while ago that after they completed the integration the network failed “auditing” so my guess is the don’t actually know what parts of the network actually do & don’t work.
Yeah I’ve been saying this for ages.
You can’t even reconnect a line in a Jurassic Fibre area that’s fully there ready to go, let alone get new service somewhere they did pass.
My assumption is they are going to abandon the infrastructure entirely and just use the OR and other networks like CityFibre and are winding down the stuff they side. Haven’t seen any of the contractors they used around in ages and I’m quite near a major location for them.
It’s a strange situation.
Not sure if you have to agree to a minimum term with PIA, but they will probably have dark fibre rental for trunk routes which they will be stuck into long term contracts, might cost them a few pennies to get out of those!
“We’re a customer-first, future-ready network wholesaler. Empowering you with a frictionless route to the largest full fibre footprint in the UK.”
How are they customer focused if they are a wholesale platform? (Unless they mean ISP customers)
If they’re going to be a wholesale integrator for ISPs would make sense to sell the fibre asset to one if the players they are wholesaling?
Cuckoo have been calling me nonstop to get me on a multi-year commit and when I said what happens if I move house like I might, they said they’d see if Openreach was available. I pointed out to them that my APFN line is my backup and my primary ISP is Openreach so they’d both be fighting for the same line and refused to commit.
When they called me the next time I asked them why it’s not possible to place a new order on the APFN backbone and they said it’s due to systems integration challenges.
The question I wonder is, what of their APFN staff? They’ve go branded vans with APFN and a network to upkeep but surely the staff are sat idle or made redundant if they’re not performing fresh installs or expanding footprint?
Should be called “Some Points Fibre” SPFN”.
Not like them to keep quiet, they love to shout about everything else, even if most of it is spin and or half true.
In my opinion, Ofcom and BDUK should act [and thus update their records] like any house currently able to access the APFN network is not able to actually get a Full Fibre connection. These entities cannot seriously consider that a house serviced by APFN has full fibre if the network provider and all of their partner ISPs are actively preventing people from signing up to an internet connection from them.
no point with Ofcom BDUK updating records, in every area I’m aware of where they are they are being over built by openreach and trooli in some cases vm so they are mainly hurting themselves.
Trying an address in a Jurassic Fibre area for a new connection seems to work OK as far as I went.
Check what speeds are being offered. If it’s 150/25 500/70 or 900/110 those are GPON speeds and if Jurassic and Openreach are available they will be trying to provision you on Openreach.
I’m in a former Swish area – just the same. Nobody new can order.
Swish went live in 2022. Mostly they dug trenches, installed their own ducts, and put in Toby pots, so not paying much PIA rental, but the investment they’ve made that they’re getting precious little return on must be eye-watering. It must give some bean counters nightmares. Not only that, but at long last OR are now (over)building in this area, we’re probably a just few months away from being able to order. Swish/Cuckoo had 3-4 years start over OR; if they had marketed aggressively, they could have creamed off all the interested customers in my area by now. Instead they have squandered their lead on mergers and reorgs.
There was an APFN engineer around just a week or so ago, fixing some fault. I asked him why nobody could order. He said they had tried to find a buyer for the network, but hadn’t succeeded, so they were now preparing to accept orders again soon. I wouldn’t put too much weight on that, as he probably wasn’t in a good position to know what management games are going on. But it kind of fits.
My Swish contract, taken over by Cuckoo, expires in just over a month. There is no way on earth I’m going to sign a new 2 year contract with these jokers. I’m hoping that they won’t notice and I’ll just go onto a rolling contract until I can switch to an OR based ISP. If not, and they pull the plug, I’d rather go back to SOGEA for a few months. And if you knew how dreadful my old FTTC line was, you would know how little I trust them. I recall that a couple of years ago they transferred a load of ex-TalkTalk customers that they didn’t want to Home Telecom, without the option. When it comes to dumping unwanted customers, and I appear to be one now, these guys have form.