Public & Social Infrastructure · National Fibre / Public Infrastructure
Wholesale Strategy for a National Fibre Programme
Timtony designed the wholesale model that turned a government-backed fibre network into a viable open-access market — adopted by the regulator and signed by three founding partners.
Challenge
A government-backed national fibre programme had built impressive infrastructure but no sustainable commercial model. Three retail ISPs were the only buyers; pricing was opaque; the regulator was concerned, and the sponsoring ministry needed an answer before the next funding tranche could be released.
Solution
We were asked, jointly by the operator and the regulator, to design a wholesale model the whole market could live with. We ran the economics of four open-access architectures, tested them with retail ISPs and enterprise buyers, and drafted the pricing framework and operating model alongside legal counsel.
Results
The wholesale framework was adopted with minor amendments by the regulator and signed by three open-access partners. Two further retail ISPs have since entered the market on the published terms, and the programme has cleared its next funding gate.
Future Applications
The same wholesale framework is being studied as a reference model by two neighbouring countries running their own national broadband programmes, and is being extended locally into a mobile backhaul tariff and an enterprise dark-fibre product.
