Control of Broadband Altnet ISP Runfibre Changes Again to Fibre Nova

The ownership of alternative network operator and ISP Runfibre, which has built a small Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across rural parts of South Gloucestershire in England, appears to have changed again after a relatively new provider called Nova Fibre took control of the business from the Fibreray Group.

In case anybody has forgotten. Runfibre is a small altnet that originally started life in 2020/21 by deploying their full fibre network into Hawkesbury Upton, Inglestone Common and surrounding areas – often with support from the government’s gigabit broadband voucher scheme. Some of their other locations included Falfield, Iron Acton, Sopworth and Little Badminton, Charfied West, Easter Compton and Over Lane.

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 during August 2024 (here), which at the time indicated that the operator would continue to focus its future deployments on “smaller communities” (i.e. places where there are “fewer than 1,500 consumers and business premises” within an area of interest).

Since then we’ve not heard much from Runfibre, until the company’s listing on Companies House was updated on 8th June 2025 to state the “cessation of Fibreray Group Ltd as a person with significant control” and to note how Fibre Nova Ltd had now become the operator with “significant control” of the business.

In addition, Runfibre’s former CEO and Director, Daniel Herbert, seems to have been replaced by the appointment of Mr Lee Thomas Murphy. For those who may be unfamiliar, this appears to be the same Lee Murphy who originally helped to setup another altnet provider, FACTCO (since re-branded to the Fusion Fibre Group), which means the new owner has plenty of experience in the field of rural fibre provision.

Little is known about the Liverpool-based Nova Fibre, which itself was only incorporated on 7th November 2023, although their website – fibrenova.co.uk – shows them as selling broadband packages via Openreach’s FTTP network across the UK. But the provider also appears to work with new build home developments (i.e. “we provide all the infrastructure, billing, and support—while you deliver branded connectivity“) and related management companies.

ISPreview did attempt to contact the new owner yesterday morning to understand what the deal meant for the future of Runfibre, and we await their response.