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News from INCA - May 2017
Gigaclear Marches Ahead
 Gigaclear continues its remarkable progress. Recently it was recognised by the FT as one of Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies, coming in at 377 of 1000. Then Gigaclear announced their 10,000th customer connection. This was followed last week with the announcement of a successful fund raising round that brought in another £111m to invest in rural full fibre networks. Hats off to Matthew Hare and his tremendous team.
MetronetUK becomes M24Seven
 Manchester-based connectivity and infrastructure provider MetronetUK has rebranded to M24Seven. Focused on providing business connectivity, hosting, security and voice, M24Seven offers high speed point to point wireless services and has recently acquired London-based fibre operator Venus Communications.
M24Seven now has more than 230 staff in the UK and Europe and its own dedicated network serving 34,000 customers.
Digital Infrastructure Policy
The General Election has interrupted some policy developments, and depending on the outcome may signicantly change the policy landscape for digital infrastructure development. INCA looks forward to working with the new government, continuing to press the case for competition and recognition of the altnets as the third force building the new digital infrastructure the UK needs.
 BDUK Becoming TDUK & New Telecoms Director Appointed
DCMS has appointed a new director of Telecoms, James Heath, formerly Director of Policy at the BBC. A Director of Digital Economy is also being appointed, along with three more posts to sit in Telecoms Delivery UK (TDUK), an evolution from BDUK. TDUK will be responsible for completing the SFBB programme, delivering the new Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme (i.e. the £200m pot) and the 700mhz spectrum clearance programme.
The New Digital Infrastruture Investment Fund launch has been delayed until after the General Election. More news in June.
Chris Townsend Moves to Chelsea FC
 INCA members have sent warm wishes to Chris Townsend who has left BDUK to take up a new role as Commercial Director of Chelsea Football Club.
Chris took over in 2014 and successfully led BDUK’s programme including completing the Phase 1 and 2 SFBB contracts, Super-Connected Cities programme and the Innovation Pilots. Chris' tenure led to a lot more competition in BDUK programmes and great success for the altnets.
We would like to offer a big thank you to Chris and his team and wish him great success in his new role.
Advertising Fibre
The Advertising Standards Authority is reviewing the way that fibre broadband is advertised and is keen to get viewpoints from INCA members. This is an issue that particularly affects organisations promoting full fibre connections. Vicky Read, now at CityFibre, is leading this work, so get in touch if you want to contribute.
Wholesale Local Access
 The Ofcom consultation on Wholesale Local Access is underway and as usual there are some complicated issues to tease out, particularly on price regulation. INCA members are also focusing on the Duct and Pole Access aspects of the review covering access to BT's passive infrastructure.
Ofcom is also consulting on spectrum use in various bands. Recently members of INCA's Fixed Wireless Access group met Philip Marnick, Ofcom's head of Spectrum Policy and his team to discuss access to spectrum, particularly for smaller operators. Wireless operators have an important role to play, particularly in hard to reach rural areas, so they need fair access to spectrum that can support their deployments.
INCA has two special interest groups (SIGs) working on these issues, the Policy & Regulatory SIG chaired by Mark Collins of CityFibre and the Fixed Wireless Access SIG chaired by Andrew Glover of Air Broadband. If you want to get involved please contact us.
Bill Murphy leaves BT
 After 7 years leading BT’s BDUK charge, Bill Murphy has decided to leave BT. He will be replaced by Steve Haines "who will lead the team responsible for commercial delivery of the BDUK contracts and our relationships with our partners and stakeholders in Local Bodies and UK Government".
"Steve Haines will report directly to Clive Selley, CEO Openreach, and will continue to lead the customer and commercial aspects of BT's BDUK contracts, working alongside Openreach’s BDUK infrastructure delivery teams."
Although INCA members have not always seen eye-to-eye with Bill, we share a common ambition to upgrade the UK’s digital infrastructure and wish him all the best for the future.
£2.5m Available for Superfast Broadband in Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Council has announced a tender for Superfast Broadband Phase 3. To find out more visit the e-procurement portal In-Tend. A substantial portion of the funding is coming from ERDF, consequently we anticipate significant interest from suppliers focusing on business connections.
Any questions? Contact Alex Norman at the County Council.
Events Diary
The ‘purdah’ period before a General Election means that we have had to change some of the dates in INCA’s spring programme. Here is an up-to-date listing.
Connected Britain - 14th & 15th June, London
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INCA members will be out in force at the Connected Britain conference next month. Gill has arranged an attractive discount for INCA members purchasing a display pod in the INCA Meeting Space.
BSG Lowering Costs Seminar - 23rd May, TechUK, London
BSG launch a new report exploring how delays in permits, and other noticing issues can affect planning processes and the roll-out of new infrastructure. BSG's report examines variations in local authorities’ practices and includes practical recommendations to Government, local authorities and the industry. More details about the event and on how to register here.
INCA Purchasing Project Workshop - 1st June, London
 INCA’s pilot project to develop a purchasing club working with the Ordo cloud platform is underway.
The aim of the project is to link operators with suppliers, improve efficiency in ordering and reduce costs. Demos of the system and meetings have taken place with a number of INCA members who are keen to get involved.
This workshop will highlight the opportunities offered by the project, update members on progress and discuss next steps. If you are interested in participating please get in touch.
UK Wide Infrastructure Investment Conference - 6th & 7th June, Milton Keynes
Dana Tobak, founder and CEO of Hyperoptic, Daniel Heery of Cybermoor and other INCA members will participate in the third UK Wide Infrastructure Investment Conference. Speakers include a mix of representatives from the public sector, investment community, developers and cross-sectoral infrastructure organisations.
Key themes include Today’s Cities & Super-Connected Green Cities, Energy Infrastructure and the intriguingly titled Pitch & Promote (something INCA members excel at!). Details here.
SDN/NFV - 21st June, The Belfast, London
Software Defined Networks and Network Function Virtualisation are hot topics amongst the fixed and mobile telcos. This workshop provides an opportunity to learn more about how SDN and NFV can improve efficiency and create new opportunities for operators. Sponsored by Adtran, full details will be posted shortly.
Full Fibre & 5G Seminar
Full Fibre & 5G is at the centre of the government’s future strategy on digital infrastructure. Representatives of government, Ofcom and industry will come together on 12th July to discuss post-election progress with policy and funding, service development and challenges including access to spectrum.
We will highlight developments in technology and opportunities for collaboration between altnets and major players. This seminar is a great opportunity to discuss what 'Full Fibre and 5G' is likely to mean in practice. Details are here.
INCA Conference - 1st November, Newcastle
INCA’s flagship conference moves north this year to Newcastle. We are planning the agenda to include progress by the altnets, discuss the latest developments in policy and regulation, learn about new technologies and debate how the world of digital infrastructure will evolve over the next few years.
The conference offers a fantastic opportunity to promote your brand, products and services. Early bird registration will be launched on 1st June. Contact Gill for information on sponsorship and exhibition opportunities.
Join INCA
INCA's team is working hard to make real change in the UK market for next generation digital infrastructure. Our membership is growing fast – working together means we make a real difference. If your organisation is not yet a member of INCA we really want you on board and now is the time to join. If you have any questions please contact Gill or Malcolm, we will be happy to help.
David Cullen, Chair and Malcolm Corbett, CEO
Independent Networks Co-operative Association
Tel: 0845 456 2433
info@inca.coop
www.inca.coop
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