Gigaclear

Gigaclear is a British alternative network operator and internet service provider that builds and runs full-fibre (FTTP) broadband networks in rural England. Founded in December 2010 by Matthew Hare and based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, it had passed about 618,000 premises across 26 counties and had about 165,000 live customers at the end of 2025, according to its annual accounts as reported by ISPreview.

History

Hare founded Gigaclear with the proceeds of selling his earlier company, Community Internet Group, and its first networks were built in villages in Oxfordshire, Essex, Northamptonshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire. Infracapital, the infrastructure arm of M&G, later acquired about 80% of the company in a £270 million deal and remained the largest shareholder, alongside Equitix and Railpen; Hare left after the sale and went on to found Zzoomm. The network's expansion has been partly funded through the government's Project Gigabit programme and its voucher scheme.

Like other altnets, Gigaclear scaled back its build and cut jobs under pressure from higher interest rates and build costs. In April 2026 its lenders took control of the business: ownership passed to a consortium of ABN AMRO, NatWest and the National Wealth Fund, and its senior debt facility was reduced from about £963 million to £575 million. Nathan Rundle is chief executive.

Services

Gigaclear sells full-fibre home broadband, home phone and mesh Wi-Fi to households, business broadband, and wholesale access to its network for other providers, including Olilo. Its website says it was named Rural ISP of the Year at the 2025 UK Fibre Awards.