Turning momentum into growth: what we’re seeing across the channel

At our recent 'Get turned on' Zen Partner Festival, the focus was clear: the opportunity in the market is significant, but real progress now depends on how quickly we act. Across the day, we shared what we’re seeing, what we’re building, and how we’re working with our partners to turn that opportunity into growth.

There’s a noticeable shift happening in the UK wholesale market. Not just in the scale of opportunity, but in how partners are choosing to engage with it. What used to be a fragmented landscape of networks, suppliers and systems is becoming more joined up and more accessible.

That shift is being driven by increasing demand from end customers, and the need for partners to compete more effectively in a more complex market. Over the past 12 months, monthly gross demand through The Fibre Hub has grown by 52%.

Customer expectations are evolving. Higher bandwidth services are no longer niche. Over a third of all FTTP services provisioned today are 500 Mbps or above, up from just over a quarter a year ago. Gigabit is moving towards the default for customers who understand the value of speed and performance.

Moving from opportunity to action

One theme came through consistently: the opportunity isn’t new, but the window to act on it is narrowing.

Full fibre coverage continues to grow at pace. Openreach is on track to reach 25 million premises by the end of the year, while alternative networks are expanding rapidly.

Many businesses still don’t have a plan to move away from legacy services, even with the copper switch-off approaching. At the same time, we know that where full fibre is available, customers are more likely to switch. That creates both a risk and an opportunity. If you’re not leading that conversation, someone else will.

One platform. Multiple networks.

The Fibre Hub was designed to simplify a fragmented market. An ambition for one platform, multiple networks, and access to a much broader footprint than any single provider could offer.

That footprint is growing. Alongside CityFibre, our Zen Partners now have access to networks including Trooli, Freedom Fibre and ITS. The addition of MS3 opens further opportunities across the North and North East, bringing alternative choice into areas that have historically been underserved.

For partners, it means access to a wide range of networks through a single platform and being able to sell into areas that may previously have been out of reach.

Making it easier to move

A key focus is removing the friction that slows migration down. We know that our partners need practical ways to identify opportunities, engage their base and move customers with minimal disruption.

Simple Switch is a good example. Coming soon, it will allow customers to be migrated onto Zen without changing PPP credentials, swapping routers or requiring engineer visits. That will apply whether you’re moving a single line or thousands. Our theory is, the easier it is to move customers, the more likely it is to happen.

Making the platform work harder

There is also a clear shift towards making The Fibre Hub more useful in day-to-day activity such as simplifying quoting, with the ability to describe requirements in plain language rather than working through forms. It also includes better visibility of your estate, helping you identify where upgrade opportunities exist and where to focus your efforts.

Our proactive support uses network intelligence to flag issues before customers call. This helps reduce pressure on support teams and strengthens overall service.

Alongside this, integration is a priority. The aim is to make it easier for your systems to connect directly into Zen, so quoting, ordering and managing services becomes part of your normal workflow.

Building the foundations

Behind the platform, there is continued investment in the network and systems that support it.

Traffic has grown consistently year on year, and capacity is being scaled to stay ahead of demand. This is particularly important as higher bandwidth and multi-gig services become more common.

Operational improvements are also being made. Changes to our Network Operations Centre team structure are designed to improve consistency and speed up resolution when issues arise.

At the same time, our cloud platform is evolving. Moving from VMware to OpenStack provides greater control and flexibility, while helping to manage long-term cost.

These changes may not always be visible, but they are critical to the performance and reliability our partners depend on.

Turning capability into growth

There is also a strong focus on helping our partners take these capabilities into market.

Access tools, data and assets through our campaign centre that make it easier to launch activity, target the right customers and convert opportunities more effectively.

Across the day, we saw clear examples of partners using this support to drive results. The approach is practical. Help you move faster and focus on where it will have the most impact.

What happens next

Events like this are an opportunity to step back and align on direction. The real value comes in what happens next. The infrastructure is in place. The tools are evolving. The opportunity is there. Now we must work together to act on it. Whether it’s identifying opportunities, simplifying migration or going to market more effectively, our aim is to make it easier for you to grow.