nexfibre acquires Netomnia
- Acquirer
- nexfibre
- Target
- Netomnia
- Deal Value
- Undisclosed
- Market
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Europe
- Status
- Announced
- Announced
- February 18, 2026
What happened
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally concluded that nexfibre’s proposed purchase of Substantial — the group that owns Netomnia (and related retail brands) — raises competition concerns in the wholesale supply of fixed broadband. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/nexfibre-slash-substantial-merger-inquiry)) The transaction was announced earlier this year with an enterprise value reported at about £2.0 billion. ([libertyglobal.com](https://www.libertyglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/02-18-InfraVia-Liberty-Global-and-Telefonica-Acquire-Substantial-Group.pdf?utm_source=openai))
Why it matters
For MVNOs, MVNEs and MVNAs that rely on wholesale FTTP supply, the CMA’s provisional finding increases near-term uncertainty around wholesale access pricing and supplier concentration; consolidation at scale narrows the pool of independent wholesale providers and can raise bargaining risk for downstream operators. The regulator’s phase‑2 process — with parties invited to respond to the interim report and a statutory deadline in mid‑December — means operators should model contingency sourcing (multi-altnet supply, FWA or hybrid access) and press for robust, enforceable wholesale commitments in any remedies. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/nexfibre-slash-substantial-merger-inquiry))
Source: Capacity Media
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