The £2bn deal for nexfibre to buy Netomnia, the company that owns the full fibre network YouFibre runs on, looks likely to be blocked. nexfibre is the fibre network company part-owned by Virgin Media O2's shareholders.
What the regulator has said
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found competition concerns in the wholesale supply of fixed broadband. On 20 October it asked for views on how to deal with them, and said: "We have identified prohibition of the Transaction (Prohibition Remedy) as a possible remedy option."
The CMA added that the companies "have not made a remedy proposal", and that apart from blocking the deal it has "not identified an alternative structural remedy".
ISPreview reports that nexfibre and its shareholders said on 20 October they won't put forward any remedies, calling the CMA's interim report "fundamentally flawed".
Key dates
- 27 October 2026, 5pm: comments on remedies close.
- 15 December 2026: the CMA's statutory deadline for its final decision.
Why it matters
Netomnia's network passes about 3.3 million premises, and YouFibre has about 500,000 customers, according to ISPreview. nexfibre had said the deal would help it reach 8 million premises by the end of 2027.
Whatever the CMA decides, YouFibre's network stays in place. A block would keep Netomnia independent of Virgin Media O2's owners, so YouFibre would carry on as a separate competitor.
What you should do
If you're a YouFibre customer, you don't need to do anything. Your service and contract carry on as normal, and YouFibre doesn't put prices up mid-contract.
If you live in a YouFibre area, such as parts of East Kilbride or Hamilton, its prices are worth comparing with Virgin Media's and Openreach-based providers' when your contract ends. Check what your postcode can get, see current offers, or read our guide to switching.