TalkTalk takes significant stake in Freedom Fibre

TalkTalk has taken “significant control” of Freedom Fibre - an alternative network operator that is currently in the process of constructing a new 10Gbps fibre-to-the-premises network to homes in Lancashire and Cheshire.

Freedom Fibre worked in partnership with TalkTalk earlier this year to connect the village of Culcheth, and recently revealed a major equity injection from an unnamed partner that will leave the network builder with £30m in its coffers by the end of the year.

The operator expects to have covered 50,000 homes by the middle of the coming year, and has been working in Winwick, Glazebury, and Croft. Freedom Fibre has previously stated its intention to reach 100,000 homes by the end of 2022.

Freedom Fibre was founded by 30-year industry veteran Neil McArthur. McArthur previously founded Opal Telecom, which eventually merged with TalkTalk, as well as TalkTalk-owned FibreNation, which merged with CityFibre last year.

TalkTalk, which was sold last year for £1.1bn to Toscafund, exited the infrastructure-building sector last year. However, its strengthening ties with Freedom Fibre suggest it is looking to get back into the game.

ISPreview first broke the news when the independent review site noticed that TalkTalk Telecom Group had become a “person with significant control” of Freedom Fibre on the Companies House website. This means that TalkTalk’s stak in Freedom Fibre is somewhere between 25% and 50%.

Neil McArthur has now ceased being a person with significant control at Freedom Fibre, and Nick Gunga has been appointed as a new director at the company. Gunga is TalkTalk’s managing director of fibre and wholesale services.

When asked to comment on the situation, a TalkTalk spokesperson said: “We can confirm TalkTalk Group has made a small investment in Freedom Fibre. This is part of our ongoing commitment to support start-ups here in the Noth West, given our Salford base.

“We thoroughly welcome and support competition in FTTP supply and we look forward to working with Freedom Fibre and other AltNets on their rollout plans.”

TalkTalk also announced the creation of 180 new positions across its business, with 56 new Kickstart roles.