After our conversation, I found myself thinking through the commercial opportunity at Wessex Internet in more detail than a single call allows. This proposal is the result. It is not a finished plan, and it will inevitably miss context that only those inside the business would have. But it reflects how I approach a commercial challenge, and I wanted to put something tangible on the table.
Wessex Internet has delivered consistent, accelerating revenue growth from £4.78m in 2023 to £8.51m in 2025. Network reach has expanded to 66,000+ premises, customer numbers grew ~50% in 2025 alone, and take-up rates of 30%+ (50%+ in established areas) that speak for themselves. EBITDA losses are narrowing sharply. This proposal is about how to accelerate that momentum.
The trajectory is positive. But the gap between natural growth and accelerated growth is not fixed it narrows the longer action is deferred. Three factors make the next 12 months the highest-leverage period in Wessex Internet's commercial history.
The business has publicly stated the expectation of reaching positive EBITDA in the second half of 2026. Every point of commercial acceleration in the next six months directly contributes to that milestone. Every month of delay costs more to close.
The network is expanding toward 137,000 premises. Commercial infrastructure (referral programmes, lifecycle automation, pricing structures, partnership agreements) takes time to bed in. The businesses that scale fastest are the ones that have these systems running before they need them, not after. Every month of delay means the next wave of new areas launches without the benefit of a proven playbook.
In most of Wessex's operating areas, there is no competing physical infrastructure. That first-mover position is a commercial asset with a time limit. The longer it takes to convert addressable premises into paying customers, the more exposure there is to a competitor entering the market or a change in government subsidy terms.
Every number in this model is grounded in the filed accounts or referenced to comparable rural FTTP operators. Assumptions are stated transparently and can be adjusted.
Base case assumes the existing trajectory continues no new commercial initiatives, same acquisition pace, same churn rate. Optimistic assumes targeted execution of the initiatives below. Stretch assumes full execution plus one strategic partnership unlocking a new acquisition channel.
Extrapolated from the 2024→2025 trajectory, adjusted for network maturity. Revenue growth rate expected to moderate slightly as the network matures but remains strong.
Conservative assumption for an early-stage altnet. Industry data suggests rural broadband churn can fall to 10–15% as the product becomes essential infrastructure. Retention initiatives target this.
Derived from 2025 internet income (£6.8m) against estimated active customer base (~16,000). Annual prepay schemes and upsell to faster tiers increase this in optimistic/stretch scenarios.
£33.3m of the debt facility remains undrawn. Capital is not the constraint commercial execution is. No additional capital assumed in any scenario.
Full network plan targets 137,000 premises. Growing from 66,000 today roughly doubles the addressable market by 2027–28 providing significant organic growth headroom without needing to improve take-up rates.
New network areas modelled at 35% take-up by end of Year 2 consistent with established network performance and achievable with an active community outreach programme at launch.
Wessex Internet's most significant commercial asset is one that most broadband providers cannot replicate: in the majority of its operating areas, it is the only physical fibre infrastructure available. That changes the commercial equation in important ways.
Where Wessex is the sole infrastructure provider, the primary acquisition challenge is not winning customers from a competitor it is converting households who have never had access to fast broadband and may not yet understand the value. The commercial approach needs to educate as much as it sells.
In rural markets, purchasing decisions are shaped by what neighbours say far more than by advertising. A single vocal advocate in a village can drive a cluster of sign-ups. A single bad experience can slow an entire area. Every commercial decision pricing, service, communication needs to be evaluated through this lens.
Rural areas receiving government subsidy funding can attract competing infrastructure providers if take-up is slow and the incumbent is seen as underperforming. Maintaining best-in-class take-up rates is not just a commercial KPI it is a strategic defence of the network investment and the government contracts that underpin it.
Grouped into three themes acquiring more customers, maximising revenue per customer, and keeping them for longer. Each initiative is independently valuable; combined, they compound.
Out-of-home advertising local press, village noticeboards, parish magazines timed to coincide with each new area going live. Rural communities respond to local presence. Cost is low; impact on early take-up is high.
Bundle conversations with mobile providers, home insurance companies and device retailers. A customer switching to Wessex broadband is in market for multiple products. Partnership referrals convert at 3–5x cold acquisition. Priority targets: a MVNO, a home insurance brand, a smart home device retailer.
Structured early-bird rates for first 100 sign-ups in each new network area. Creates urgency, generates word-of-mouth and builds the social proof needed to convince the second wave. Rate locks after 12 months to protect ARPU.
Structured reward for existing customers who refer a neighbour. £50 bill credit per successful referral is typically ROI-positive vs cost of paid acquisition. In tight-knit rural communities where trust is the primary conversion driver, referral is the most efficient channel available.
A household searching "full fibre broadband [village name]" should find Wessex Internet at the top of the results, not a generic comparison site. Coverage maps, availability checkers and area-specific landing pages serve both the customer and the search algorithm. A prospective customer who finds Wessex through search already knows they are in coverage, and the conversion barrier is significantly lower than any outbound channel.
Targeted letter and email drops to every household in a new coverage area at the point of go-live with a clear CTA, a local contact and a time-limited offer. Rural households respond to direct mail significantly more than urban. Cost per contact is pence.
Incentivise annual payment upfront with a modest discount (e.g. 10 months for the price of 12). Benefits: improved cash flow, near-zero churn for 12 months, higher LTV. Industry data suggests 20-35% of residential customers will take annual billing when incentivised.
Structured upsell journey for customers on entry-tier plans triggered at 6 months based on usage data. A 20% ARPU uplift from 30% of the base improves blended revenue per customer without acquiring a single new customer.
Rural businesses are systematically underserved by major providers. A dedicated business tier with SLA, static IP and priority support commands 2–3x residential ARPU. Partnership with local enterprise agencies provides a ready-made route to market.
Structured communications programme across the customer lifecycle: onboarding, 3-month check-in, 9-month pre-renewal, failed payment recovery. Each touchpoint designed to reduce passive churn and strengthen the customer relationship before renewal risk appears.
Tenure-based rewards speed upgrades at Year 2, priority customer service at Year 3 that make staying more attractive than switching. In markets with limited competitor infrastructure, loyalty schemes reduce already-low churn further and improve NPS.
Building a clear model of customer lifetime value by cohort acquisition channel, geography, plan tier enables smarter investment decisions. Knowing which customers churn earliest and why allows proactive intervention rather than reactive win-back.
Structured outreach to churned customers at 30, 60 and 90 days with a time-limited re-connection offer. Industry data suggests 15–25% of churned broadband customers can be recovered within 90 days if contacted promptly with the right offer.
Three scenarios modelled against the natural growth baseline. The optimistic case assumes consistent execution of the acquisition and retention initiatives above. The stretch case adds one strategic partnership unlocking a new B2B channel.
| Initiative | Base | Optimistic | Stretch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community launch campaigns + direct outreach | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Referral programme | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Early adopter pricing | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Annual prepay conversion | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Speed tier upsell programme | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Lifecycle automation + retention | ✓ | ✓ | |
| SME and business connectivity tier | ✓ | ||
| Strategic cross-sell partnership | ✓ |
Note on projections: These scenarios are directional and built for strategic discussion. They are grounded in three years of filed accounts and comparable operator data. The value of this exercise is the commercial framework, not the precise numbers.
Wessex Internet has built a compelling foundation: a funded rural network with strong take-up, an improving EBITDA trajectory and a clear path to scale. The initiatives outlined in this proposal are not presented as a blueprint for what is missing, but as a framework for conversation. Some of these may already be in motion, and where they are, this proposal simply adds weight to the direction of travel. Where they are not, each one is commercially disciplined, low-cost relative to its potential impact, and executable within an existing team. I am happy to walk through any part of this at your convenience.