News
News
Virgin , Liberty , Telefónica go for NetCo
Virgin Media O2 together with its shareholders , Liberty Global and Telefónica , have initiated plans to create a national fixed network company ( NetCo ) that that they say will “ underpin full fibre take up and roll out ; provide new financing optionality and a platform for potential altnet consolidation opportunities ; and establish the biggest dedicated fixed network challenger in the country , offering clear wholesale choice at scale for other providers as a major alternative to BT ’ s Openreach ”. providing revenue and cash flow from day one of operation .
Virgin Media O2 ’ s mobile assets will not form part of the NetCo , and nexfibre , the independent fibre joint venture between Liberty Global , Telefónica and Infravia , will continue to operate separately focusing on fibre network expansion into greenfield areas .
Once all planned fibre build is completed , the separate NetCo and nexfibre networks will reach a combined total of up to 23 million
homes , which will see clear fibre network competition at scale in the UK reaching around
Italy ’ s Piracy Shield blocks 100,000
Piracy Shield , a new system designed to combat online piracy in Italy , became operational in February and has since managed to block 528 IP addresses and 114 illegal sites . According to estimates by Italy ’ s Communications Authority ( AgCom ), this move has prevented around 100,000 households from illegally watching premium content .
The system aims to protect the big sports rights holders – such as DAZN , Sky , Prime Video and Infinity – by blocking unauthorised viewing of live
The entity , which will be a fully consolidated subsidiary of Virgin Media O2 and have a neutral impact on the company ’ s leverage and credit structure , will comprise of the operator ’ s cable and fibre network assets covering 16.2 million premises across the UK today , with all upgraded to full fibre in the coming years .
Aligned with Virgin Media O2 ’ s current network strategy , NetCo will focus on completing the company ’ s ongoing fibre upgrade programme which sees the existing cable network overlayed with full fibre .
Virgin Media O2 ’ s consumer and B2B units , and its mobile network will continue to serve customers with a range of connectivity services that will evolve over time . Through a wholesale agreement , NetCo will connect Virgin Media O2 ’ s entire fixed customer base ,
Aligned with Virgin Media O2 ’ s current network strategy , NetCo will focus on completing the company ’ s ongoing fibre upgrade programme which sees the existing cable network overlayed with full fibre .
75 % of the country . Collectively , Virgin Media O2 and nexfibre have a full fibre footprint of more than 4 million premises today .
The development of this NetCo is underway between teams at Virgin Media O2 and its shareholders Telefónica and Liberty Global . Further details and operational timelines will be announced in due course and subject to any necessary regulatory approvals . In the meantime , fibre upgrade activity continues unchanged at Virgin Media O2 .
Lutz Schüler , CEO of Virgin Media O2 , commented : “ This is a logical evolution of our fibre strategy that creates a clear , focused and scaled network entity within the Virgin Media O2 family which underpins our shift to a fully fibre network and reinforces our position as the leading challenger to Openreach in the market . Working closely with our shareholders , this network business will provide a platform for potential altnet consolidation and wholesale opportunities in future , offering widescale network choice for other providers , as well as giving financing optionality . While nothing changes today work is well underway and you ’ ll hear more from us later in the year .”
coverage of events such as Serie A football , the UEFA Champions League and the Italian Cup basketball matches .
Piracy Shield requires ISPs , VPNs and open DNS services to comply with blocking orders issued by the rights holders without judicial review and within 30 minutes of reporting . In parallel , Italy ’ s Guardia di Finanza also traces the culprits through payments , often made by credit card .
However , the technological system , which is still in the testing phase , has also caused unintended consequences , such as inadvertently blocking access to legitimate CDNs , particularly due to human errors and oversight . This has caused frustration among internet users who lose access to certain websites which have nothing to do with piracy .
The lack of oversight has led VPN provider AirVPN to discontinue its services in Italy , citing the burdensome requirements of the new system .
For their part , AgCom points out that the system ’ s effectiveness is being monitored , and its consequences are being weighed against the need to protect the creative industries and ensure that the rights of citizens are not compromised .
8 EUROMEDIA