News
After months of rumour, the UK altnet has seemingly a majority stake to newly formed Agnar UK Infrastructure Ltd
For months now, the future of UK fibre altnet Trooli has been uncertain. Rumours have suggested that numerous parties were potentially considering a takeover bid, including the including rivals Virgin Media O2 and Zzoomm, with analysts suggesting such a deal could be worth over £100 million.
More recently, at the end of last month, the Financial Times reported that two infrastructure firms, Vauban Infrastructure Partners and Axione, had entered into discussions with Trooli over a possible acquisition.
This week, however, it seems that the successful suitor will be none of the above. As reported by ISPreview, an update to Trooli’s Companies House records shows that the altnet is now over 75% owned by a newly formed company called Agnar UK Infrastructure Ltd.
This deal is not entirely out of left field; Agnar is recorded as having two French directors – Maxime Buisson and Elie Nammar – both of whom have ties to Vauban Infrastructure Partners.
In the same filing, it was also noted that all Trooli’s original UK directors have resigned.
It is unclear what this acquisition will mean for Trooli’s ongoing rollout, which is currently seeking to pass one million UK premises with fibre-to-the-premise by the end of 2024.
In the past year, Trooli had been seeking to raise an additional £200 million via an equity share release for their ongoing deployment, so this takeover could provide some much needed funds to keep the fibre reel turning.
More details about the deal will presumably be shared by Trooli and Agnar in due course.
How is the UK altnet landscape evolving in 2023? Join the ecosystem in discussion at next weeks Connected North conference live in Manchester
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