Research Round-up March 2026

Key publication of the month:

Point Topic / INCA Annual Report 2026

Beyond disruptors: Altnets expanding future-proof infrastructure, driving competition in gigabit broadband

The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) asked Point Topic and Assembly Research to deliver the 2026 edition of its Annual Report. This study provides evidence of Altnet coverage, connections and concerns, as well as policy and regulation actions to support further investment and the creation of effective competition in the fibre market.

Annual report key metrics

Key Messages

1. The UK’s independent (Altnet) operators increased their network coverage by 20% year-on-year to reach 19.7m premises at the end of 2025. Nearly 4.4m of these premises were in Ofcom's ‘Area 3’, meaning that Altnets have delivered full fibre connectivity to nearly half of all premises in hard-to-reach rural areas.

2. Over 850,000 customers switched to an Altnet during 2025, leading to more than 3.5m live fibre connections that are now delivered by independent broadband networks. This reflects 32% growth year-on-year, as well as an 18% take-up rate.

3. Altnets have delivered price certainty for end users by largely avoiding inflation-linked mid-contract rises, while strengthening price competition, particularly for entry-level fibre services. Altnets also outperform the largest retail ISPs on major consumer satisfaction rankings, maintaining strong levels of service quality and reputations for customer experience.

4. Revenues rose significantly in 2025, with four Altnets reporting to have achieved profitability for the first time. Despite a slowed pace of network rollout, the sector still invested over £2bn last year while attracting over £3bn in new external funding – some of which is expected to fuel future consolidation.

5. Altnets are most concerned about customer acquisition, reflecting a shift in priorities for Altnets (and their investors) from premises passed to actual connections. However, network deployment issues, such as PIA and wayleaves, remain top of mind, while the risk of overbuild by other Altnets has risen sharply within the set of challenges identified by the sector.

6. The outlook for the Altnet market will be shaped not only by commercial and operational factors, but also by regulatory and policy developments. Both Ofcom and the Government will continue to play a vital role in busting deployment barriers and enabling genuine competition in fibre networks, which will promote further investment, positive consumer outcomes and national-level growth.

Read the complete article and download the complete report in our free analysis here.

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Key March telecoms sector news

BT Group News

2 March – BT Group and Ericsson strengthen partnership to unlock smarter, more reliable 5G services for UK businesses.

13 March – As part of EE’s role in the Shared Rural Network, its team led the build and delivery of a new mobile mast designed to address a long-standing mobile not-spot on the west of the island of Islay on the Inner Hebrides in Scotland. The new mast now serves the local community by providing fast, reliable mobile connectivity to residents, businesses and visitors across parts of Kilchoman, Machrie, Rockside, Aruadh, Ballinaby, Smaull, Braigo, Sanaigmore, Carnduncan, Grainel, Lyrabus, Gruinart and Craigens.

12 March – A groundbreaking technology trial – which uses Openreach's fibre broadband network to detect leaks in surrounding water pipes – has managed to prevent the loss of 2 megalitres of water – equivalent to the daily use of around 10,000 people, in just three months.

20 March – BT reported that over three million UK households have now moved to digital landlines, providing a safer, more reliable service ahead of the industry‑wide analogue switchover in January 2027. BT Business has already migrated the majority of business customers away from legacy platforms. As of January 2026, around 80% of our voice customers have moved to All-IP services. This represents significant progress, but thousands of organisations still rely on Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and other PSTN-based services.

24 March – BT signs deal worth up to £200 million to deliver enhanced connectivity and security for Northern Ireland Electricity Networks.

27 March – Broadband ISP EE confirms first UK customer live on 8 Gbps broadband.

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) News

2 March – VMO2 announced that O2 is set to deliver another major mobile upgrade as it commits to investing £700m into its mobile network this year through its comprehensive Mobile Transformation Plan.

4 March – Virgin Media O2 announced David Melcon as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer, starting on 2 April 2026.

10 March – O2 and Ontix have partnered in collaboration with Bath & North East Somerset Council to deploy small cells in some of the busiest areas across Bath’s city centre and its picturesque shopping areas.

17 March – O2 deploys Europe’s first pre-assembled mobile mast as part of £700m Mobile Transformation Plan.

19 March – O2 has switched on its next-generation 5G+ network across 66 large towns and cities, 175 smaller towns, and 1,120 villages in Scotland as part of its UK-wide rollout.

19 March – O2 has refreshed its Ultimate Plan to include O2 Satellite, giving customers enhanced value on their services and mobile connectivity in even more areas.  

23 March – Virgin Media rolls out 24/7 broadband support to all customers at no extra cost.

27 March – Virgin Media O2 has helped close the digital divide by providing one million people with free data, devices, and greater access to its network in rural areas.

31 March – Virgin Media O2 has signed new multi-year agreements worth hundreds of millions of pounds with Ericsson and Nokia to upgrade its UK mobile network, as part of its Mobile Transformation Plan.

CityFibre (CF) News

17 March – CityFibre responds to Ofcom's Telecoms Access Review.

26 March – CityFibre partnered with BUKO Digital to help keep drivers moving ahead of a road closure in West Sussex. Long Furlong in Worthing will be closed from 13 April for approximately ten days to upgrade the area’s digital infrastructure as part of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit programme.

31 March – CityFibre announced the launch of its new 8.5Gb product, rolling out across its nationwide network and bringing Multi-Gig speeds to millions of premises throughout the UK.

Independent Operators (Altnets) News

4 March – 30,000 more homes and businesses in Cumbria’s hard-to reach communities now have access to high-speed, reliable broadband as Fibrus has surpassed a major milestone in connecting the county ahead of schedule, thanks to the Government’s Project Gigabit. 

9 March – Exascale refresh UK full fibre broadband prices and go live via Gigaclear.

16 March – brsk customers start the migration over to YouFibre and at the end of the month the website notified consumers that it is now YouFibre.

16 March – FibreNest freezes UK broadband prices and updates on OFNL ISP integration.

18 March – London-based ISP The One Broadband (‘The One‘) has acquired the CityFibre linked customer base of retail internet provider Octaplus, which has spent the past few years selling broadband packages to consumers via a number of alternative full fibre networks. But customers on the provider’s other networks “will not be affected“.

18 March – London full fibre broadband provider G.Network moves forward “Debt-Free”.

26 March – Wholesale provider PXC adds CityFibre’s Ethernet Flex and expand UK Business FTTP.

Other News

4 March – The government announced that it has committed a further £30m of public investment from the UK Space Agency’s 4-year £160m Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme, which will be used to develop new satellite technologies and components to help supply “high-speed internet, communications and data services” around the world.

13 March – The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency launched a new address checker, which enables homes in England and Wales to see whether they’ll be able to benefit from the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband networks under their publicly funded £5bn Project Gigabit programme.

16 March – The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and London Councils published a new London Infrastructure Framework (LIF), which seeks to establish a shared long-term vision for London’s critical economic infrastructure priorities through to 2050. This includes, among other things, tackling the 390,000 premises across the city that are still “unserved” by gigabit broadband.

17 March – Ofcom published its Statement: Promoting competition and investment in fibre networks - Telecoms Access Review 2026-31.

19 March – Ofcom announced that in order to meet the growing demand for satellite connectivity services in the UK, Ofcom has today decided to make more spectrum available for satellite gateway earth stations.

19 March – BDUK published its March 2026: Premises contracted and built under Project Gigabit contracts.

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