Written by Scott Bicheno
During a panel at Network X 2023, CityFibre’s Chief Strategy Officer said he thinks the UK would be better served by a larger challenger fibre network.
The comments were made by Rob Hamlin during a panel at the Network X event in Paris, which focused mainly on the UK fibre market. Hamlin noted all the UK altnets combined cover a similar number of premises – around 12 million – to the dominant player Openreach.
While he said CityFibre is well on the way to passing 4 million premises itself, and progressing at a rate of a million per year, he seemed keen for his company to be part of an even bigger entity. “The country would be better served by a larger challenger,” said Hamlin.
Dana Tobak, Founder and CEO, of fellow UK altnet Hyperoptic, was also on the panel and she stressed the contrast between the two companies’ strategies. While CityFibre is a wholesaler, Hyperoptic both builds and sells its fibre connectivity. Perhaps as a consequence of their differing philosophies, Tobak didn’t seem very supportive of the call for consolidation.
