Connexin Create InfraCo to Support Full Fibre Build in Northern England

A new alternative network (altnet) operator called Connect InfraCo, which has close links to UK ISP Connexin, has cropped up with a plan to rollout a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband platform to homes and businesses in the North of England, albeit “primarily” in a wholesale capacity.

The details came to light after the operator made a request for Code Powers from Ofcom (here), which is typically sought to help speed-up deployments of new fibre optic infrastructure and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licenses needed for street works. It can also be used to facilitate access to run their own fibre via Openreach’s existing ducts and telegraph poles (PIA).

The company was first incorporated in September 2020 and is stated to be a Special Purpose Vehicle (i.e. a subsidiary created by a parent company to isolate financial risk) that is 90% owned by Patrizia European Infrastructure Fund II, an investment fund managed by Patrizia AG, and 10% owned by Connexin, an existing holder of Code Powers which will both manage the construction phase and the operation of the network itself.

So far as we can tell, Connect InfraCo aims to “deploy its FTTP network in areas where the choice for consumers is currently limited” and the related services will then be retailed to consumers via Connexin, with residential customers benefitting from top speeds of up to 2Gbps. This is in keeping with Connexin’s current packages, and so we assume that the provider’s existing rollout plan also applies.

Just to recap. Connexin is currently investing £80m to deploy a new full fibre broadband network across parts of Hull and East Yorkshire (here and here). We’ve seen quite a few AltNet’s splitting out their network and retail ISP businesses, which makes a lot of sense in this market.