VX Fibre and Freedom fibre complete merger 


News 

Consolidation continues in the alnet market in the latest of a string of mergers 

UK fibre altnets VX Fibre and Freedom Fibre have completed their merger which was announced last December, following regulatory approval. 

The newly combined group will operate as name Freedom Fibre under their CEO Neil McArthur and his management team, and will have a network of 300,000 (which is up from the figure of 285,000 given in December). 

“This strategic merger leverages the strengths of both Freedom Fibre and VX UK to create a larger, stronger, and more diverse business backed by two significant investors with ambitions for growth,” said Freedom Fibre’s CEO, Neil McArthur. We are delighted to be joining forces with the VX team and are hugely excited about the future potential of the newly combined business.”  

VX UK mainly operates in and around Stoke-on-Trent, but has fibre assets in Bristol and Colchester. Freedom Fibre, which was launched in 2020, offers wholesale-only services on its network, and had a long-term partnership with leading UK broadband provider TalkTalk.  

Speaking to the financial times in January, Greg Mesch, CEO of the UK’s largest altnet CityFibre, said it is aiming to make as many of five acquisitions over the next two years. “Investment is drying up but I think that’s creating the opportunity to consolidate the network,” Mesch said. According to the article, the company is already in exclusive talks with two other altnets. 

Catch Greg Mesch at this year’s Connected North event, 22-23 April in Manchester. Secure your tickets now! 

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