Zen Internet Targets Dramatic Growth Over Next 5 Years

Zen Internet, an ISP that has won accolades for its customer service and straightforward tariffs, aims to more than double its revenue to £200 million over the next five years as customers seek alternatives to the broadband giants.

The B Corp-certified firm saw its revenue grow by 7% across 2019, then 8% across 2020. That’s taken revenue to £82.1 million per year—shy of the £100 million target it announced for 2021 in 2018, but still showing strong growth.

Zen Internet, one of the only broadband minnows not owned by the Big Four of BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin, has attracted home and business customers with superior customer service.

It's one of the challenger ISPs, along with Shell Energy Broadband, that, along with alternative networks like Hyperoptic, are expected to grow their market share from 12.5% today to 14.5% in 2025. Already serving three million customers, these outsiders expected to siphon one million more off the incumbent brands over the net four years.

One of the main reasons customers have been ditching familiar brands is customer service and surprise price hikes. And Zen, with award-winning customer service and a lifetime price guarantee, is eager to welcome them.

While Zen traditionally charged more than competitors (although prices have come down in recent years), it lets customers lock in their prices for as long as they stay with the company.

That price lock has helped Zen to once again be crowned the best broadband provider by Which?. Its 70% customer satisfaction rating comfortably trounced its larger rivals. The nearest competitor was BT on 57%.

Which? hesitated to name Zen Internet an official "Recommended Provider" at that time because Zen hadn’t signed onto Ofcom’s latest code of practice on broadband speeds. As of July, Zen Internet is now a member of the voluntary code, committing to give customers personalised estimates of the broadband speeds they can expect at their address and making it easier for them to leave when those speeds don’t live up to expectations.

Meanwhile, Zen has recently launched full-fibre tariffs on Openreach and CityFibre’s separate full-fibre networks. Although full-fibre is only available from Zen in select cities, the ISP working on rolling it out across its customer base, aiming to deliver 80% full-fibre coverage in the future.

Paul Stobart, Zen chief executive, said: “We have an ambitious plan to drive growth across ultrafast, cloud and communications, with the aim of more than doubling our revenue to £200m over the next five years. Our people-first ethos, our passion for the customer, and our determination to do the right thing by all our stakeholders, including our people, customers, suppliers, our local communities and the environment, sets us apart, we believe, from others in the market.”

Lauren Smith

Lauren Smith has worked as a journalist and copywriter for most of the last decade, covering technology, energy, and consumer rights, in the US and UK.

Read all articles