Community Fibre Drops G.Network Rescue Bid, Cites Rodent Damage to Cables

Community Fibre has ruled out a rescue acquisition of bankrupt London broadband provider G.Network, partly due to the cost of repairing fiber-optic cables damaged by rodents. CEO Graeme Oxby stated the network has "quite a lot of structural issues" and would be "quite an expensive fix." G.Network entered administration earlier this month after its £300 million debt burden and a base of only 25,000 subscribers became unsustainable. The company's practice of laying cables in ducts under busy roads, rather than under pavements, makes rodent-related repairs especially costly and disruptive. The failed bid highlights broader distress in the "alt-net" broadband sector, where analysts predict further mergers and collapses as firms struggle with high debt and poor customer uptake.