Airband has been sold to rival rural broadband provider Voneus after its main financial backer decided to stop putting money into the business. Both companies provide Full Fibre and wireless broadband in countryside communities across England and Wales.
An investment fund run by Aberdeen has lost around £200 million on Airband, according to the Financial Times. Banks including HSBC and Lloyds are also expected to lose money, while Voneus reportedly bought the business for less than £10 million.
For households using Airband, nothing has suddenly stopped working. The network and support services remain online, and no immediate changes have been announced to packages, prices or bills. Voneus has yet to explain whether the Airband name will remain or how the two businesses will be brought together.
Image Credit: DevonLive
Airband service vehicles bearing the rural broadband provider’s striking blue-and-white branding
The problem wasn’t building the broadband
Airband built a network reaching around 175,000 rural properties, many in places previously overlooked by larger providers. The difficulty was turning those cables and masts into a successful business. In 2024, Airband brought in £6.7 million but recorded losses of more than £66 million.
It is a familiar problem across Britain’s smaller broadband networks. Billions have been spent taking fibre past front doors, but too few households have signed up. Building the network costs an enormous amount upfront, while the money only comes back one monthly broadband bill at a time.
Voneus now gains a much larger rural network without paying anything close to what it cost to build. Airband gains an owner willing to keep the business going. For the people relying on it, the important question is whether Voneus can make the combined company work without service, support or prices suffering along the way.
