Three New FTTP Broadband ISPs Emerge with Big UK Rollout Plans UPDATE

The number of alternative network (altnet) UK ISPs, which are all planning to deploy Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband networks in an already fairly crowded market, has just increased yet again today with the tentative additions of Vorboss, Netomnia and Internetty (formerly Bright Orange Networks).

At this point we’re familiar with seeing a new full fibre ISP emerge almost every single month, although this is the first time where three have been identified in the same week. Currently very little is known about each of the ISPs, although Internetty has been in the market for a few years under different names (in 2017 they were Binary Source, then in 2018 they became Bright Orange Networks and now Internetty).

All of the aforementioned providers have also put in recent applications for 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.

Take note that all of the ISPs below have also expressed an interest in harnessing Openreach’s (BT) recently revised Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product (i.e. running their own optical fibre cables through or over Openreach’s existing underground cable ducts and overground telegraph pole infrastructure).

Netomnia Limited

We’ll kick things off by taking a quick look at Netomnia, which was first incorporated on 21st May 2019 and at the time of writing we haven’t been able to find a website for them. The company boss appears to be Jeremy Chelot (different address from Community Fibre’s former CEO of the same name) and they’re based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

However, despite being a brand new ISP, the provider still plans to build a FTTP network to serve homes and businesses in “predominantly in suburban areas.” The aim of this is to deploy its network to 1 million premises by 2022 and 3 million by 2025 (i.e. focusing on locations where FTTP has yet to be built), which is a surprisingly dramatic target for an operator that we’ve never heard of before.

Vorboss Limited

Vorboss is an interesting London-based provider, not least because it was first incorporated all the way back in 2006 and is currently marked on Companies House as having overdue accounts (they were due on 30th June 2019). The two listed Directors (active ones) are Mark Alan Boost and Timothy Creswick.

Otherwise Vorboss appears to now have an aspiration to build their own FTTP network for homes and businesses in “large urban areas across the UK.” The aim appears to be to deploy this full fibre network to 250,000 premises by 2022. Sadly we don’t know much more than that and their website is quite vague.

Internetty Limited

Last on our list, but by no means least, is the Stoke-On-Trent based Internetty that was first incorporated in 2014 and, as above, has been through several recent name changes (the current Director is Sarah Ann White). The provider already claims to have around 8,000 users, although their website doesn’t offer much detail on their products or coverage.

Despite this they now intend to build a new FTTP network to serve “rural and semi-urbanised areas,” which they say will initially focus on North Lincolnshire and subsequently other areas across the UK. The provider also intends to supplement its fibre platform with a Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network to serve properties which are not viable to connect to via FTTP network.

As ever we’ll be keeping a close eye on all of these new players to see whether or not their aspirations come to fruition.

UPDATE 30th September 2019

The boss of Vorboss, Timothy Creswick, has kindly confirmed that their initial roll-out will focus on Central London, where they intend to connect 100 or so of their existing customers in the first few months. The work will involve replacing leased fibre tails with owned fibre to support bandwidth growth.

Most of these are already 10Gbps capable customers (businesses) and they expect to have 10+ customers on 100Gbps connections by this time next year, with the first 100Gbps delivery currently in progress (a large tower in the City).