Fibreray Group Takes Control of UK Altnet Broadband ISP RunFibre

Alternative network operator and UK ISP RunFibre, which had been building a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural parts of South Gloucestershire and North Wiltshire in England, has now been fully acquired by the Fibreray Group for an undisclosed sum. The operator is now looking toward an expansion of their gigabit broadband network.

The network operator, which in 2020/21 started building in the Hawkesbury Upton, Inglestone Common and surrounding areas – often with support from the government’s gigabit voucher scheme, is a smaller player in the altnet space and had only covered 1,400 premises by April 2023 (last update). Some of their other locations include Falfield, Iron Acton, Sopworth and Little Badminton, Charfied West, Easter Compton and Over Lane.

Customers usually pay from £25 per month on a 24-month term for their 100Mbps (symmetric speed) package, which rises to £60 for their top 1Gbps tier (the fastest tiers also include Wi-Fi extenders and a Wi-Fi 6 router). Plus, they offer a cheaper 100Mbps Social Tariff for £20 per month. The provider also sells different services over the CityFibre network in Wolverhampton and Gloucester.

However, the provider appeared to be suffering from some challenges toward the end of 2023 and ended up being acquired by the Fibreray Group for an undisclosed sum, which after completing the acquisition is now looking to expand the network.

Rod Lawrence, General Manager of Runfibre, told ISPreview:

“With the resources and capabilities of Fibreray Group at its disposal as a delivery partner, Runfibre will be able to make full fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) services available to consumers and businesses swiftly and at extremely competitive prices.

For Runfibre customers, this acquisition brings the certainty and peace of mind that their services are backed by a specialist provider of fibre infrastructure with proven, end-to-end capabilities. It means that Runfibre will be able to offer customers a comprehensive service, from feasibility and design through to delivery, and consistent and dependable fibre connectivity. Having all of these capabilities entirely within the group accelerates our response time and ability to meet and exceed customer expectations.”

Daniel Herbert, CEO of Fibreray Group, said:

“This strategic acquisition enhances our mission to deliver high-speed fibre connectivity to underserved rural and semi-rural areas across the UK and will enable us to play our part in getting Britain fully connected by 2030. By utilising our turnkey expertise to deliver full fibre services in the smallest of rural clusters we believe we can make them as commercially viable as any metro area and create a real difference to the long-term prospects and prosperity of those communities. Drawing on Runfibre’s expertise in rural broadband and our comprehensive delivery capabilities, we aim to deliver unparalleled fibre solutions that meet the unique needs of these areas.”

The announcement states that Runfibre will continue to focus its future build on “smaller communities” (i.e. places where there are “fewer than 1,500 consumers and business premises” within an area of interest) and reveals that the operator has passed “over 1,500 premises“, which is up only slightly from where they were at over a year ago.

The Fibreray Group was advised during the acquisition of Runfibre by Prism Business Consulting, which continues to provide strategic consulting support to the board.