• CityFibre set to cut hundreds of jobs, Community Fibre grows
• Nokia chairperson steps down
• NEC scraps its hardware-based RAN business

In today’s industry news roundup: Major UK altnet CityFibre is set to axe about a third of its workforce as it shifts from network construction to M&A-fuelled expansion; Community Fibre is growing apace but reportedly isn’t interested in buying struggling altnet G.network; Nokia appoints new chair as Sari Baldauf steps down; NEC will now focus its mobile network efforts on virtual RAN developments; and more!

Only days after major UK fibre broadband altnet CityFibre announced an increase in connected premises, revenues and earnings, news has emerged that the company is planning to cut at least 450 jobs, about a third of its headcount. The Financial Times initially reported the planned redundancies, having seen a letter sent to staff by the operator’s CEO Simon Holden, which stated that the company’s “current structure” was “no longer the right fit for where our business is heading”. ISPreview then received confirmation from the operator that more than 400 jobs are at risk as the company pivots from a network build-led strategy to one focused on growth through acquisitions.  

Meanwhile, another UK altnet, Community Fibre, has reported a 48% year-on-year increase in revenues to £113m and a 530% increase in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to £49.8m. The company, which has built a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network in London and nearby areas that reaches 1.3 million premises, ended 2025 with 429,000 customers, up 26% year on year, giving it a take-up penetration rate of just under 32%. For further details, see this press release.

Community Fibre has also been in the news in recent days for reportedly opting not to table a takeover bid for struggling London-based altnet G.network because the latter’s network had been damaged by rats. However, Mark Jackson at ISPreview believes there’s more to Community Fibre’s lack of M&A interest. The news comes only weeks after G.network was sold to a distressed debt firm, which has since put the company into administration and is now seeking to sell its network and customer base.  

During its fourth-quarter and full year financial results call, Nokia confirmed that longtime chair Sari Baldauf would be stepping down from the role, to be replaced by Timo Ihamuotila. Baldauf has chaired the Nokia board since 2020 after returning to the company in 2018, following an initial stint between 1994 and 2005 as EVP and GM of its Networks division. Former CFO Ihamuotila already serves as vice chair, and the promotion to chair is subject to board approval. To find out what Nokia CEO Justin Hotard had to say about the company’s financials and his thoughts on recent European Union regulatory developments, check out this article.   

NEC has scrapped its conventional, hardware-based 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN) infrastructure unit as part of a reorganisation of its Telecom Services Business Unit, the Japanese vendor noted in its fiscal third-quarter earnings presentation slides. It recorded “structural reform expenses” of 18bn yen ($117.5m) in its third quarter, which ended in December 2025, as a result of the move. The vendor, which has an Open RAN-focused joint venture with NTT Docomo called Orex SAI, noted it will now focus its telecom network technology efforts on software-based virtual RAN (vRAN)-related businesses and position that line of business as part of its Aerospace and National Security (ANS) unit. 

Could UK telecom regulator Ofcom be thrust into the middle of a diplomatic battle between the Trump administration and the UK government over big tech and censorship? According to US under secretary of state Sarah Rogers, the US government is currently drafting legislation that would (she claims) prevent UK regulators from clamping down on US firms, citing the First Amendment. Rogers told the Sun newspaper that impending new legislation would shield the US from the powers of Britain’s Online Safety Act, which enables the telco regulator to punish social media giants over harmful posts, something Trump and his cabinet have labelled as an attack on free speech.

Cambridge, UK-based AI-enabled cybersecurity systems vendor Darktrace is searching for a new permanent CEO after Jill Popelka “stepped down” from the role after only 16 months to be replaced by Charles Goodman, the company’s chairman, who has been appointed interim CEO until a new head honcho is appointed. While the company’s version of events is all very polite, The Times reports (subscription required) that Popelka was forced out by Darktrace’s owner, private equity firm Thoma Bravo, because revenues are not growing fast enough. Goodman, who is an operating partner at Thoma Bravo, noted in the company’s announcement of the top-table change that “Darktrace continues to be a company with strong growth potential, and our focus now needs to be on re-accelerating that growth, in line with our existing strategy.”

– The staff, TelecomTV