The CMA's next call could decide how many fibre networks UK businesses get to choose between

20 October 2026. The £2bn takeover of full-fibre operator Netomnia by nexfibre — the vehicle backed by InfraVia and sharing owners Liberty Global and Telefónica with Virgin Media O2 — is close to collapse. Nexfibre has told the Competition and Markets Authority it will not submit a remedies package, after the regulator provisionally found the deal would amount to a substantial lessening of competition in wholesale fixed broadband. The CMA's final decision is due by 15 December 2026.

What nexfibre said — and what the CMA found

In a joint statement, the shareholders called the CMA's interim report "fundamentally flawed", objecting to its assumption that CityFibre would acquire Netomnia instead, and arguing that BT's acquisition of TalkTalk is shrinking the available wholesale market while CityFibre's debt restructuring raises viability questions. "There is no remedies package that can address the CMA's current counterfactuals," they said — while insisting they remain ready to engage if the analysis changes. The CMA's interim findings had pointed the other way: the combined nexfibre/Netomnia footprint was pitched at 8m premises by the end of 2027, and critics including CityFibre pointed to 832,000 overlapping FTTP premises, warning of a duopoly between Virgin/nexfibre and Openreach.

Why wholesale matters more than retail brands

Most businesses never buy from a network — they buy from a provider riding on one. The more concentrated the wholesale layer becomes, the less leverage any single business customer's provider has on price, service or terms. The last few months have already shifted that layer once: BT now owns TalkTalk's PXC wholesale arm, and the failed Netomnia deal would have consolidated further. If the deal is blocked, CityFibre is widely reported to be preparing a renewed offer for Netomnia — which would keep at least three major infrastructure players in the market.

What it means for how businesses buy

Whichever way the CMA rules, the practical lesson for UK firms is that the network your provider rides on can change hands — and the terms you buy on can change with it. The number is the asset that does not have to: a virtual phone number ports to whoever serves you best and answered over SIP it reaches mobiles and desk phones on any underlying network, with plans from free pay-as-you-go to £9.97 a month. That portability is exactly what keeps a wholesale shake-out from becoming your problem. Our porting rules explainer sets out how the move works, and the DID numbers guide covers what a number actually gives you.

Related: BT buys TalkTalk and PXC out of administration · Ofcom blocks Openreach's new-customer discount