{"id":47254,"date":"2026-10-02T07:22:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=47254"},"modified":"2026-10-05T15:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:55:10","slug":"cma-raise-competition-fears-over-nexfibres-2bn-netomnia-uk-broadband-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/10\/cma-raise-competition-fears-over-nexfibres-2bn-netomnia-uk-broadband-deal.html","title":{"rendered":"CMA raise competition fears over nexfibre’s \u00a32bn Netomnia UK broadband deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Competition and Markets Authority<\/a> has published its preliminary findings for their fast-tracked Phase 2 investigation into the \u00a32bn acquisition of full fibre broadband network Netomnia<\/a> (Substantial Group) by the parents of nexfibre<\/a> and Virgin Media<\/a> (O2<\/a>). Overall the CMA found the deal would result in a “substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in the wholesale supply of fixed broadband services<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

In case anybody has forgotten. Nexfibre<\/a> (i.e. Liberty Global, Telef\u00f3nica and InfraVia Capital), which shares some of their parentage with VMO2, announced in February 2026 that they\u2019d reached a \u00a32bn deal to acquire alternative network rival Netomnia<\/a> (here<\/a>). At the time the operator had already built their own FTTP<\/a> network across 3 million UK premises (rising to c.3.4m premises and 500k customers by deal completion \u2013 expected in Q3 2026).<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The Substantial Group is backed by over \u00a31.6bn<\/strong> of equity and debt from investors Advencap, DigitalBridge, and Soho Square Capital etc. Netomnia<\/a> sells to consumers via retail ISP brand YouFibre<\/a> (they also sell business-only packages via some third-party ISPs like Aquiss<\/a>, Giant etc.).<\/div>\n

The deal was promoted as helping to unlock a \u00a33.5bn investment in the UK market and assisting in the upgrade of 2.1 million of Virgin Media<\/a>\u2019s premises from coax (HFC) to full fibre technology. The combined nexfibre<\/a> and Netomnia<\/a> footprint aimed to reach 8m premises (FTTP<\/a>) by the end of 2027, which when combined with Virgin Media<\/a>\u2019s network could collectively reach 20m premises (c.10m if only looking at FTTP<\/a>) and create a \u201cscaled, financially secure challenger<\/em>\u201d to Openreach<\/a> (BT<\/a>).<\/p>\n

However, critics of the deal, such as CityFibre<\/a>, which had also been attempting to acquire Netomnia before nexfibre tabled the most attractive offer, stated that there was a lot of overlap between the nexfibre \/ Virgin Media and Netomnia broadband networks. A recent Point Topic<\/a> study put the overbuild figure at 832,000<\/strong> premises when looking at the FTTP side of these networks (here<\/a>), but there\u2019s much more overbuild with HFC (see below).<\/p>\n

The CEO of CityFibre<\/a>, Simon Holden<\/strong>, warned that the proposed agreement would \u201csignificantly reduce competition and the choice available to consumers, as well as force hundreds of thousands of Netomnia customers back to VMO2<\/em>\u201d \u2013 potentially raising the prospects of the UK returning to a duopoly between Virgin\/nexfibre and Openreach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite this, YouFibre<\/a> is currently expected to adopt a similar approach to giffgaff<\/a> on nexfibre\u2019s network post-sale. The brand will thus be maintained, at least initially, with some separation. But over time there are concerns that negative changes could still sneak in (e.g. higher prices and mid-contract hikes).<\/p>\n

Key Points of the \u00a32bn Netomnia Acquisitions<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u27a4 InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telef\u00f3nica are committing \u00a31bn in new net funding for nexfibre to fund the transaction \u2013 made up of \u00a3850m from InfraVia and \u00a3150m jointly from Liberty Global and Telef\u00f3nica.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Nexfibre will sell Substantial Group\u2019s retail business, including the YouFibre<\/a> brand (Brsk has been retired), to VMO2 for \u00a3150m \u2013 covering c.500,000 customers.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Nexfibre will finance the FTTP upgrade of 2.1 million homes covered by Virgin Media\u2019s old HFC network (i.e. those that are \u201cadjacent<\/em>\u201d to the Netomnia footprint). We\u2019ve already seen this process begin (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u27a4 VMO2 will pay wholesale fibre access fees on its customers within the 2.5 million VMO2 homes that overlap the Netomnia fibre footprint.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 In exchange for the wholesale traffic commitment on the 4.6m premises, Virgin Media O2<\/a> will receive 1) c. \u00a31.1bn in cash and 2) an indirect 15% stake in nexfibre. The vast majority of the proceeds will be available for deleveraging and the \u00a3150m to finance the purchase of Substantial Group\u2019s 500,000 customer base.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 VMO2 will provide a full suite of managed services to nexfibre \u2013 including construction \u2013 in return for ongoing management and construction fees.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The main potential obstacle for the agreement was over the question of whether or not the CMA would throw up any major stumbling blocks or rubber stamp it, particularly as the Government had already given a broadly favourable response to the pairing. The CMA’s recent flexibility toward big telecoms mergers (e.g. Three UK<\/a> and Vodafone<\/a>) had also shown that it might be in a flexible mood.<\/p>\n

However, before the CMA could even proceed to a Phase 1 probe, nexfibre’s parents instead opted to fast-track it into a deeper Phase 2 investigation (here<\/a>), which normally requires that there also be sufficient evidence to conclude that the legal test for a Phase 2 reference is met (i.e. that a merger is or may be expected to result in a Substantial Lessening of Competition (SLC)).<\/p>\n

Nexfibre and Netomnia did not themselves concede that the merger could reduce competition in the supply of fibre broadband or any other services.<\/p>\n

Preliminary Results of the Phase 2 Competition Probe<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The preliminary findings<\/a> of the CMA’s Phase 2 investigation today found that the transaction amounts to a relevant merger situation (RMS) that “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in the wholesale supply of fixed broadband services<\/em>,” although this is not yet the CMA’s final decision and concessions could still be reached to allow the deal to proceed.<\/p>\n

Joint statement on behalf of nexfibre’s shareholders<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe CMA\u2019s Interim Report does not reflect the commercial and competitive reality of Britain\u2019s fibre market. It fails to prioritise the fibre investment the country needs, and the creation of a scaled, sustainable challenger to Openreach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In its Strategic Steer to the CMA, the Government states that it \u2018expects the CMA\u2019s approach to clearly, and unambiguously, reflect the need to enhance the attractiveness of the UK as a destination for international investment\u2019.<\/p>\n

This deal unlocks \u00a33.5 billion of international investment, which would increase consumer choice and support the faster rollout of full fibre broadband nationwide.<\/p>\n

Standing in the way of this deal would suggest that Britain is closing the door on international investment, further entrenching Openreach\u2019s monopoly, and leaving consumers to pay the price.<\/p>\n

We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA to secure an outcome that backs sustainable competition, investment and growth.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A spokesperson for CityFibre<\/a> told ISPreview:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe CMA is right that this proposed transaction would significantly reduce competition and risks the benefits being delivered for UK consumers: faster speeds, greater innovation and lower prices.<\/p>\n

After recognising that harm, it is vital that the CMA takes the next step and blocks the deal.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The interim report appears to have considered what might have happened had, as part of the earlier bidding for Netomnia, the company remained independent or been taken over by rival bidder CityFibre. “The evidence shows that Substantial\u2019s financial outlook has deteriorated in recent years, and whilst it was a viable option to continue as a standalone entity, this was not attractive compared to a sale at an acceptable valuation<\/em>,” said the report.<\/p>\n

The CMA said that Netomnia’s internal documents and financial evidence show that Substantial\u2019s shareholders had a “strong incentive to reach a deal with CityFibre<\/em>” (absent the Transaction with nexfibre) and CityFibre was likewise highly motivated to conclude a deal with Substantial. The CMA added that “CityFibre would likely have been able to raise the required funding for a valuation that was acceptable to Substantial\u2019s shareholders.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

In short, the CMA concluded that the most likely counterfactual, to the deal with nexfibre, would have been an acquisition of Substantial by CityFibre, with a subsequent sale of Substantial\u2019s retail businesses to a third-party ISP. The CMA also considered the counterfactual for Nexfibre, had the deal not been reached, which concluded that VMO2\/nexfibre would have continued to compete in the wholesale supply of fixed broadband to ISPs. So no big surprises on that front.<\/p>\n

At this point it’s worth noting that the “relevant market<\/em>” being considered by the CMA does not include VMO2\u2019s cable \/ HFC network (“as there is no demand from wholesale customers<\/em>” for that, noted the CMA), but they have still taken into account future ‘cable to FTTP’ upgrades in their analysis (i.e. were all of Virgin’s lines to eventually be upgraded to FTTP, as is still the ambition).<\/p>\n

CMA Statement on Wholesale Competition and Overbuild<\/strong><\/p>\n

In our view, the Transaction gives rise to a significant reduction in wholesale competition across the Parties\u2019 FTTP network footprints (for simplicity, we focus here on the VMO2\/nexfibre network). Our analysis shows that VMO2\/nexfibre\u2019s network is fully overlapped by Openreach, c.14% overlapped by Substantial, and c.18% overlapped by CityFibre (with minimal overlap between Substantial and CityFibre). In the counterfactual, the Substantial network would have been acquired by CityFibre, and there would therefore be wholesale competition between three providers \u2013 Openreach, VMO2\/nexfibre and CityFibre \u2013 in all these areas of overlap (ie c.32% of the total VMO2\/nexfibre network).<\/p>\n

Following the Transaction, CityFibre would not be present in the Substantial network footprint (due to the minimal overlap), and there would therefore only be wholesale competition between Openreach and VMO2\/nexfibre in these overlap areas (ie in the areas of the VMO2\/nexfibre footprint overlapping with Substantial). Relative to the counterfactual, this reduces the proportion of VMO2\/nexfibre\u2019s total network in which VMO2\/nexfibre, CityFibre and Openreach are all present from c.32% to c.18%. In other words, the Transaction would materially reduce the competitive constraints on VMO2\/nexfibre in a significant part of its network.<\/p>\n

We have focussed above on the VMO2\/nexfibre network. As a comparison, the Substantial network is c.26% overlapped by VMO2\/nexfibre\u2019s FTTP network, and would be c.82% overlapped if VMO2 were to upgrade its cable network to FTTP. In the counterfactual, there would be competition between Openreach, VMO2\/nexfibre and CityFibre in these areas, compared to just Openreach and VMO2\/nexfibre following the Transaction.<\/p>\n

Our provisional view is that this would have a significant impact on wholesale competition within the Parties\u2019 network footprints, because CityFibre is a vigorous wholesale competitor. It has secured wholesale agreements with Tier 1 and Tier 2 ISPs, on highly competitive terms, with Tier 1 ISPs indicating that they consider CityFibre\u2019s wholesale offer to be strong, particularly in terms of price, network speed and reliability. Compared to the counterfactual, in which a combined CityFibre\/Substantial would be present across a larger proportion of the VMO2\/nexfibre footprint, the Transaction would therefore lead to significantly weaker conditions of competition.<\/p>\n

In terms of competitive constraints on the Merged Entity, Openreach is an important wholesale competitor. However, it is a regulated entity that cannot freely compete on key metrics such as price and service, with CityFibre, VMO2\/nexfibre and altnets offering lower prices and (on some metrics) greater service quality. Further, there are very few other wholesale constraints, with other altnets being small in scale. Our provisional view is that the constraint from Openreach and other altnets would not be sufficient to mitigate the impact of the Transaction on wholesale competition.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The CMA also considered the potential benefits of the deal and whether the Parties\u2019 claimed efficiencies are “timely, likely and sufficient to prevent an SLC from arising<\/em>“, although we already know the answer to that from the CMA’s overall conclusion. The competition authority recognised that the deal would lead to some increased scale for VMO2\/nexfibre, but that VMO2’s own FTTP upgrade programme “will erode most<\/em>” of that.<\/p>\n

Apparently only “limited evidence<\/em>” was supplied to support VMO2\/nexfibre’s claim that the deal would materially increase the likelihood of ISPs agreeing a wholesale deal with the merged operator. But no evidence was provided to show that there would be a clear benefit in this footprint being wholesaled by VMO2\/nexfibre rather than CityFibre.<\/p>\n

All of the relevant parties will now be given until 5pm on Friday 16th October 2026<\/strong> to submit their proposals for remedies to the findings (i.e. concessions that might allow the deal to proceed). The challenge is in whether or not such proposals will be enough to overcome the CMA’s concerns, which appear to be quite strong.<\/p>\n

As we’ve suggested before, stronger wholesale requirements (inc. non-discrimination commitments) for Virgin Media\u2019s consumer broadband network and nexfibre would be a start. At present both operator’s are still quite restrictive – mainly selling via ISPs controlled by the group, such as giffgaff<\/a> and Virgin Media retail. We think this is something VMO2\/nexfibre are already prepared to deliver, but it may not now be enough.<\/p>\n

The CMA\u2019s Phase 2 investigation has already set a statutory deadline of 15th December 2026<\/strong> to reach a final conclusion. ISPreview has queried with nexfibre what concessions (remedies) they might be prepared to offer and will report back if they respond. But one risk here is that blocking the deal, which is now a bigger possibility, might potentially set a precedent that actually makes it harder for other altnets to consolidate out of difficulty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Competition and Markets Authority has published its preliminary findings for their fast-tracked Phase 2 investigation into the \u00a32bn acquisition of full fibre broadband network Netomnia (Substantial Group) by the parents of nexfibre and Virgin Media (O2). Overall the CMA found the deal would result in a “substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in the wholesale […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1645],"tags":[472,418,56,2353,2714,32,475],"class_list":["post-47254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk_isp_news","category-key_uk_isp_industry_developments","tag-business","tag-cityfibre","tag-fttp","tag-netomnia","tag-nexfibre","tag-o2","tag-virgin-media"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@ispreview\/117369881397770806","error":""},"yoast_head":"\nCMA raise competition fears over nexfibre's \u00a32bn Netomnia UK broadband deal - ISPreview UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Competition and Markets Authority has published its preliminary findings for their fast-tracked Phase 2 investigation into the \u00a32bn acquisition of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/10\/cma-raise-competition-fears-over-nexfibres-2bn-netomnia-uk-broadband-deal.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CMA raise competition fears over nexfibre's \u00a32bn Netomnia UK broadband deal - 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