Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO at Evolve Business Group,
“At Evolve we welcome the news that Virgin Media O2 will open its fibre broadband network to other internet providers. As a new nationwide provider, it will challenge the dominance of BT-owned Openreach, which currently connects 99% of all homes and businesses across the country. That can only be a good thing for UK businesses.
“Currently, all broadband providers rely on the Openreach network to connect customers. As such, these suppliers are limited to the top speeds provided by Openreach cables in that area.
“By opening its network to other brands for the first time, Virgin Media is paving the way for more true alternatives for broadband providers who want to unlock faster speeds in parts of the UK that have yet to be upgraded by Openreach.
“Furthermore, going forward, any Openreach rival stands to benefit from the second wave of Project Gigabit contracts, which are expected from 2025 to 2030, in a bid to expand fast broadband into tough-to-reach parts of the country where no Gigabit-capable internet options exist. In turn, businesses will be better able to fulfil the connectivity targets that we know are a priority for them.
“A recent study found that 42% of UK businesses regarding moving to higher capacity connectivity in the next two years as key to growth plans — rating it either ‘integral’ or ‘greatly important’ to their future success.
“Government incentives for high-capacity network expansion have long inhibited the ability of altnets to serve UK business growth, and we hope this news is a step towards overcoming this shortcoming.”
