
2025 has proved a pivotal year for AllPoints Fibre Networks (APFN), with the completion of its consolidation programme and the launch of its wholesale fibre platform reflecting the full transformation of disparate retail ISPs and network builders into a scaling wholesaler.
Here, CCO Nisreen El-kaloush lays out the post consolidation priorities for APFN as well as its long-term ambitions in the fibre sector.
Where were the difficulties in completing consolidation and how were they addressed?
Transforming five businesses into two, while rewriting the business model, has been a defining chapter for us. It’s not just about structural change; it’s about uniting people, platforms, and purpose. We’ve learned that transformation isn’t a single moment; it’s a narrative you must keep shaping and sharing.
The legal merger might mark a milestone, but it’s just the prologue. What comes afterwards is the real test: you must deliver on the promises you have made and keep adapting to a changing environment without being blown off course.
The most complex challenge was integrating our underlying systems and networks. Each of our networks was planned for scale at the outset; but we still had to think carefully about how we brought it all together. This is a 20-year infrastructure play, and we’re investing accordingly to make sure we get it right, not just for today, but for the long haul.
How is the consolidated AFPN better built for purpose than its predecessors?
In the early planning phases, we performed extensive market research so we could understand our current and prospective partners’ problems and needs. We used that data to design an organisation around those needs.
The APFN of today is a more focused, efficient organisation than the five that came before it. When we merged the companies, it wasn’t just a case of smashing them together and hoping for the best; we were careful to design the APFN of the future based on our vision and prevailing market conditions.
Where is APFN on its full fibre journey
In May we launched aquila, our brand-new wholesale full fibre platform giving ISPs and resellers instant access to Openreach, BT Wholesale, CityFibre and APFN’s combined footprint.
At the same time, we’ve embarked on a programme of Openreach exchange local enablement. We’re making great progress in installing our equipment into enduring Openreach exchanges, and CityFibre FEXs. This will allow us to drive down the cost to serve while giving APFN better control of the network right out of the gate.
We’ve scaled back our build so our focus can be centered on our wholesale network.
Please summarise the targets that will form your next phase – what are your aims and objectives for 2025/6? Why are they significant?
On the network side, we already have partnerships in place with CityFibre, BT Wholesale and Openreach. While we are not ready to announce anything more yet, we will significantly expand our network reach in the coming months and years.
On the partner side we’re talking to a range of resellers, MSPs and ISPs. We have B2B Partners such as Daisy and Onecom onboard, and Cuckoo is the first retail ISP using the platform.
The third side of the triangle is aquila itself. We have some new capabilities launching in the next 12 months that will continue to differentiate aquila and APFN from other platforms.
What are your current priorities and what are the main challenges and opportunities associated with your priorities?
We’ve got three big priorities for the year ahead. First up is growing aquila. We’re bringing on new network partners with unique footprints, giving us even more reach and capability.
Our second priority is to provide high-quality products and services that add value to our partners and their end users.
Finally, underpinning all of this is making APFN as efficient as possible. We’re tightening up how we work, making sure our operations are robust, scalable, and ready for whatever the market throws at us.
What are your long-term goals in the UK fibre sector?
The sector continues to experience radical changes. When we think back to even just five years ago, altnets were building at pace and funding was easier. There was talk of consolidation back then, but it was clear that there was some runway before deals would start being done.
Fast forward to now, every company in the sector has to fundamentally reconsider its future. Altnets are consolidating, doubling down on gaining penetration and looking for more efficient ways to scale.
We don’t see interest rates falling to where they were in 2019, and Openreach continues its fibre expansion at pace. We believe that the current market conditions are set to stay, and we are adapting to them. Our goals are to take advantage of the disruption to the sector and become a disruptor ourselves.
Where is value moving in the altnet market?
Some market fundamentals haven’t changed, even from fibre’s earliest days. This has always been a game of scale, and whoever gets to scale most quickly reaps the rewards in the long run.