nexfibre is a new next generation fibre broadband company
Anchor tenant Virgin Media O2 launches commercial services on nexfibre’s XGS-PON full fibre network for the first time
Millions more homes and businesses set to benefit from ultra-fast broadband speeds
nexfibre, a new next generation fibre network, has hit a major milestone today as consumers and businesses in a number of towns and cities across the UK can now connect to the company’s network for the first time using Virgin Media O2’s gigabit broadband services.
nexfibre’s network roll out is ramping up and, with the support of construction partner and anchor wholesale tenant Virgin Media O2, is on target to deliver full fibre connectivity to 5 million premises by the end of 2026.
nexfibre’s hyper-fast network uses the latest XGS-PON architecture and will enable Virgin Media O2 to extend its fibre footprint to up to 23 million homes by 2028, around 80% of the UK.
The combination of nexfibre and Virgin Media O2’s network footprints will see the creation of the UK’s first national-scale challenger to BT Openreach, boosting choice and competition in the market.
Bernardo Quinn, CEO at nexfibre said:
“nexfibre’s advanced full-fibre network is now live and will deliver hyper-fast broadband to millions of homes and businesses across the country.
“We are investing £4.5 billion to roll out our new network which will boost the UK’s digital economy by creating thousands of jobs and getting millions more homes and businesses online.
“We are on a mission to build and operate our network in previously underserved areas, closing the digital divide and giving more people access to high-quality broadband.”
Over time, XGS-PON and fibre connections will provide consumers and businesses with more bandwidth as the technology enables symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 10Gbps. XGS-PON will also support the UK’s net zero transition as the technology uses a passive optical network, which means lower energy consumption.
Notes to Editors
- nexfibre is a Joint Venture between InfraVia Capital Partners, Liberty Global and Telefónica and is financed with £4.5 billion of equity and debt investment.
- Virgin Media O2 is nexfibre’s anchor wholesale tenant, as well as network construction partner.
- nexfibre’s investment will provide a major boost to the UK’s digital economy and make a significant contribution to the Government’s gigabit broadband ambitions.
- nexfibre will initially roll out fibre to 5 million homes not currently served by Virgin Media O2’s network by 2026, with the opportunity to expand to an additional c.2 million homes.
- For more information on today’s announcement, see: VMO2