The ITS Technology Group (its.), which operates 35 wholesale full fiber broadband and Ethernet networks across urban areas of the UK, has announced a significant new partnership with high bandwidth wholesaler Virtual1 (TalkTalk) that appears set to combine their respective network reach.
The move is significant for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that TalkTalk recently entered into an agreement to acquire Virtual1 for an undisclosed sum (here) and the two have already combined their networks. The TalkTalk deal alone is said to have given the ISP a combined Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) market share of 25%.
By comparison, ITS Technology’s “Faster Britain” network is said to be “on track to pass more than 500,000 / 25% of UK business premises” by the end of the year (this may include some of their fixed wireless networks), including many that Virtual1 aren’t yet able to serve via their own on-net platform.
Virtual1 states that today’s partnership will thus give them “direct access to over 200,000+ more businesses” – we assume the missing c. 300k is where both networks already have the same coverage. Naturally, ITS will also benefit by gaining access to Virtual1’s network.
Philip Lee, Head of Channel at ITS Tech, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Virtual1. This agreement will allow more businesses to access hassle-free, scalable, gigabit-capable connectivity services. It ensures that ITS’ wholesale Faster Britain footprint is added to Virtual1’s capabilities, while Virtual1’s network capabilities are added to our own partner portal and APIs. It is a win win for all our partners, and most of all for the end-users who now have even more choice to fulfil their connectivity requirements.”
Toni Whitney, Alt Net Partnership Manager at Virtual1, said:
“We’re partnering with ITS Technology Group to enable our customers to access a range of connectivity options that leverage ITS’ network. ITS currently operates across towns and cities which have high business premise concentration, all across Britain. This gives direct access to over 200,000+ more businesses. Working with partners such as ITS is driven by our commitment to the channel to ensure we maintain a commercially strong offering in an ever-increasing competitive market.”
Virtual1 added that the related quoting options were already live on their 1Portal, and they would be delivering Ethernet services to partners at speeds of up to 1Gb, as either a Layer 2 or Layer 3 Ethernet.