While the biggest players like BT, Sky and Virgin Media are highly unlikely to disappear any time soon, some smaller alternative networks (known as ‘altnets’) and budget providers have closed down in recent years.
These include:
Fuel Broadband – The company chose to exit the market in 2017 and the Post Office took over.
People’s Fibre – Entered administration in 2021 and customers were acquired by Swish Fibre.
Onesave Telecom – Closed in 2022, with many customers moved over to other providers.
Origin Broadband – Collapsed in 2022 after struggling financially, leaving customers transferred to TalkTalk.
PennyTel – A small provider that shut down UK operations several years ago.
Zybre – Entered administration in 2023, with many of its customers migrated to Cuckoo (which is now part of Fernga).
Spring Fibre – Entered administration in 2024, assets sold to Harmony Networks.
Link Broadband – Announced closure and service switch-off in August 2025.
If your broadband provider goes bust, you won’t be left stranded. Smaller providers have gone under before, and while Ofcom works to protect customers, you don’t have to stick with the provider you’re moved to. By comparing broadband deals, you can take back control and find a package that gives you faster speeds, a reliable connection, and better value for money.
All is not lost if your provider closes down. In fact, sometimes you’ll hardly notice any difference. A lot of the time brands are bought out and the only difference you’ll really notice is the name and the marketing material will change.
Don’t panic – Your broadband won’t be cut off immediately. Ofcom ensures that services continue while customers are moved to a new provider.
Wait for instructions – You’ll likely get an email or letter explaining what’s happening, including whether your contract is being moved to another provider (as with Origin to TalkTalk).
You’re free to switch – If you don’t want to stay with the new provider, you can shop around and switch. You won’t be charged an early termination fee if your provider has gone bust.
Check your bills – Cancel any direct debits once your service has officially switched over. If you’ve paid in advance, you may be able to claim money back from your card provider or through the administrators.
If you’re not happy with the new provider you’ve been moved to, now’s the perfect time to look for a better deal.
There are hundreds and hundreds of different broadband deals – but not will all be available to your home. To save disappointment don’t search all deals, just use our postcode checker.
The big providers such as BT, Virgin Media, Plusnet, Sky and Vodafone can reach most households. But even then, your postcode plays a part in whether you can access the fastest full fibre broadband.
There are plenty of smaller, reliable alternative networks too: Fibrus, Community Fibre, Hyperoptic, Gigaclear, 4th Utility, Trooli, Brsk and many more. These independent providers concentrate on bringing high-speed fibre internet to areas that have been underserved by others. These could be your local full fibre heroes.
