ISP Zen Internet Acquire Lit Fibre’s UK Consumer Broadband Base UPDATE

Rochdale-based broadband ISP Zen Internet has today followed their recent acquisition of Fibrehop‘s customer base (here) by announcing that they’ve also agreed to acquire Lit Fibre’s customers. This follows a decision by Lit’s Board to exit the UK internet access market, after previously selling the full fibre network they built to CityFibre.

In case anybody has forgotten. Lit Fibre used to be a vertically integrated alternative broadband network and retail ISP, but that changed last year after CityFibre agreed to acquire their full fibre network of over 200,000 premises in England – estimated to be valued at around £80m (here).

Following the above sale, Lit Fibre ended up becoming more of a retail-only ISP and retained control over their customer base (CityFibre is a wholesale-only network and so doesn’t do retail), but the provider appears to have struggled to make this work and hence today’s deal with Zen Internet. The exact number of customers involved remains unclear, although the base is unlikely to be terribly big.

According to the announcement, customers are told that the transition should bring the “reassurance of a larger, long-established provider while keeping their current package unchanged“. Customers will also retain the same monthly price, contract length, terms and conditions, and Lit Fibre’s commitment to no in-contract price increases.

Richard Tang, CEO, Zen Internet, said:

“Lit Fibre customers have chosen a provider that puts service and fairness first, and that’s exactly what Zen stands for. We’re delighted to welcome them to Zen, and we’re committed to preserving their existing terms and delivering a great service, in line with our purpose to ‘do right for people and planet’.”

Tom Williams, CEO Lit Fibre Limited, said:

“Ensuring customers are able to move to a trusted provider that shares our values was important to us. Zen’s long-standing reputation for customer care and quality makes them the right home for our customers and we are confident that our customers will continue to receive great service and support from Zen.”

The migration is expected to begin in January 2026 and until then customers should contact Lit Fibre for support in the usual way. Customers are told they will “receive more information from Lit Fibre with a clear overview of next steps” in the near future.

UPDATE 1:48pm

Thanks to several of our readers, who are Lit Fibre customers, for sharing a copy of the email they just received about this (personal details redacted).

Copy of Lit Fibre’s Customer Email

Subject: Important notice about your Lit Fibre broadband service

Hello XXXXXXXXXXXX,

As always, we want you to be the first to know about any changes to your Lit Fibre service. 

The Lit Fibre team have decided to step away from the broadband retail market and as a result, we have arranged for your broadband service to be transferred from Lit Fibre to Zen Internet, who will take over billing and customer support for your account. This email is notice of that upcoming change. 

Important things to know about the change: 

• Your price stays the same 
• Your contract length stays the same
• Your service package and terms stay the same 
• Our no in-contract price hikes promise remains in place 
• Your CityFibre fibre connection stays the same (no engineer visit!) 
• There’s no need to change your equipment or WiFi details 

Zen will become your broadband provider, but your underlying CityFibre fibre service will not change. We expect your service to transfer between January and February 2026. We’ll keep you in the loop and confirm your exact transfer date in a follow-up message closer to the time. Zen will also be in touch to welcome you to their network.  

Why Zen? 
We wanted to make sure our customers stay with a provider that keeps everything you love about your Lit service, and Zen is a perfect fit. Zen is recognised for service excellence, quality and fairness, having been named Which? Customer Service Brand of the Year 2024 and the only Which? Recommended Broadband Provider for five consecutive years! Zen has also just won PC Pro’s Best Broadband ISP award again in 2025 — extending a record run of 22 consecutive wins. 

Everything you currently enjoy stays the same – your package, your monthly price, your speed, contract length, and the commitment to no in-contract price increases.  
We think Zen is a perfect fit for our customers, but if you’d prefer not to continue your service with Zen Internet, you can end your agreement without early termination charges before your service transfers. Just call us on 0330 460 4610 within 30 days of this email. You can also find more details in our FAQ’s. 

What happens next? 
 If you’re happy to continue your service with Zen, you don’t need to do anything.  
 We’ll get in touch again before your transfer date to let you know: 

• When your service will move, and 
• What to expect on the day of transfer. 

In the meantime, please continue to contact us as usual if you have any questions or need support.   

A huge thank you for being part of the Lit Fibre journey. We’re proud of what we’ve built together and we’re confident Zen will look after you brilliantly. 
  
Best wishes, 
Tom & Ben  
Co-founders of Lit Fibre