Netomnia UK Build Didsbury FTTP Broadband Network to 40,000 Premises
Alternative broadband network Netomnia (Substantial Group, YouFibre), which has so far built their UK full fibre network to cover over 3 million premises RFS (inc. 500,000 customers), have confirmed that their deployment across the Manchester suburb of Didsbury has reached more than 40,000 homes and businesses.
Just to recap. Netomnia originally announced a few years ago that they would invest up to £14,887,500 to expand their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across nearly 50,000 premises in Didsbury, which formed part of their wider strategy across Greater Manchester that has already covered much of Sale, Oldham and Cheetham Hill.
Suffice to say that Netomnia is still a bit short of their original build target and in recent months has switched their efforts to focus more on commercialisation than further network expansion. The latest update also states that the “network build in Didsbury is complete … [and] there are no further build plans for the area at present, although this may change in the future as plans evolve“.
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Ian Kock, COO at Netomnia, said:
“Reliable digital infrastructure has become fundamental to the way communities live, work and grow. Didsbury is a great example of how long-term investment in Full Fibre can help create the foundations for future innovation, giving residents, businesses and public services access to connectivity that is built to support them for years to come.”
Customers looking to take out one of YouFibre’s related broadband packages can expect to pay from £20 per month for symmetric speeds of 200Mbps on a 24-month fixed-price term, which rises to £50 for their top 7Gbps tier. All packages include free installation and a Wi-Fi 7 router.
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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And just like the roll out in Dover and other places, selected roads only. One road has it, one a few metres away (literally) doesn’t, despite letters stating the adress will get and their online checkers saying that for over 2 years. Openreach managed it though, just simple run a fibre along the poles, no dig. It literally took them a few hours to complete the road. QA checks on other day. This lot (Netomnia) and it was too much trouble, so they had cabled the ex-council houses with far less household income over the bigger houses with more income to spend and quite a few neighbours wanted Netomnia here.
Altnets aren’t charities. They build where they can make money – or at least have a chance of it. Areas with more tightly packed housing reduce the cost per premises. Larger houses, more widely spread, may have occupants with higher incomes, but they don’t pay more for the service and the cost of serving them is higher – for every detached house served an altnet could spend the same money reaching 3 or 4 flats or terraced houses. Four customers paying £20 a month is a better return than one paying £50.
The investors funding these builds have very specific requirements around premises passed and takeup. Those numbers are most easily met by picking the areas of highest housing density.
Don’t expect businesses with a prime goal of rapid investor return to act in the same way as organisations with an ethos of national public service.
And just like the roll out in Dover and other places, selected roads only.
-That’s how they work, yes. If over budget they don’t touch it. That’s how they’ve kept to their build cost budget.
One road has it, one a few metres away (literally) doesn’t
-A road has to be at the perimeter of every build.
Openreach managed it though
-Openreach network not the same as Netomnia one. More to it than stringing fibre from pole to pole. ‘Managing’ it and it making financial sense different things.
so they had cabled the ex-council houses with far less household income over the bigger houses
-Yes, the smaller houses are closer together so cost less to cable.
quite a few neighbours wanted Netomnia here.
-Assume they wanted YouFibre. Keep eyes on the cable ducts. It’ll arrive through those, over nexfibre.
Stating the obvious as usual. As a business, golden rule: Dont promise what you can’t deliver. Don;t send letters to each address saying their home will be covered and dont have your online checkers saying that for 2 years past the date. Housing density does not correspond to take up – you can deploy to lots and not have any take up – or deploy to a less dense road but have takeup enough that covers roll out cost because those houses have more income and possibly consume more broadband meaning faster and more expensive tiers taken. In any event Openreach seemed to think roll out was Ok and proceeded and VMO2 take over of Netomnia has publicly stated that roads adjacent to Netomnia will get done first (fttp) before Mustang project upgrades HFC. Mustang has changed project name but can;t remember what its called now…
So build to people who will want the top package and not the bottom one?
Housing density means lower costs per premises. Fewer poles, chambers and metres of duct to pay Openreach rent for. While it’s not the same as the digging Grain are doing they are digging where they are due to cost of construction. Cost of construction to a lesser extent and rental to a much higher extent is there for PIA too.
Less affluent areas tend to provide higher uptake. They’re more price-sensitive and more willing to churn. Wealthier folks in nicer houses often don’t want another CSP on the wall or hole through it for the sake of saving a few quid a month.
More affluent homes don’t really correlate with higher tiers. They can still afford to go out for their entertainment. They have more fun money but more ways to spend it. Priority is getting the network installed in homes at the moment, that’s the hardest part. Once that’s done it’s, relatively, gravy.
Source: altnet customer base.
@FANNY ADAMS
The economics of many of these projects have changed drastically in the time since they were launched.
All of the network providers have had to change their plans to take into account the changing costs of installation. It is no surprise that in many instances, deployments have had to be curtailed.
Closest Fibre Up activity I can see to you right now is an OLT install in Strood. It’s making its way to you.
On the build in Dover Openreach are having to close a road to build duct in Whitfield, two duct builds shortly in Buckland Valley. Looking back at the works highly likely they had to build duct to get to you as they’ve done the easy stuff already. Netomnia were likely waiting for Openreach to do that before they built to you: they’ve done it in plenty of other places. If you were as simple as you think you were no reason they’d have ignored you.
Where did that unfounded claim come from? Anyone say people ONLY took the highest tier? Higher tiers mean more return/profit for operator though and more likely from households with more income to spend. Just financial reality.