KKR, Warburg Pincus Investigate Selling UK Fiber Assets

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2026 – KKR and Warburg Pincus, two major private equity firms, are testing investor appetite for their United Kingdom fiber broadband businesses as the U.K.'s “altnet” sector faces mounting financial strain.

KKR, under Co-Executive Chairmen George Roberts and Henry Kravis , has contacted several potential buyers of Hyperoptic, the firm’s U.K.-based broadband provider, according to the Financial Times. The broadband service provides internet to more than 400,000 customers and reaches more than 1.9 million homes in the UK.

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According to the Financial Times, Warburg Pincus, under CEO Jeffery Perlman , has hired bankers and approached potential buyers for their broadband provider, Community Fiber. The company is one of the U.K.’s most financially sound independent broadband builders and serves about 450,000 customers. The estimated value of the London-based operator has a value of about $2.68 billion.

These moves come as the U.K. operators face weak fiber-service uptake and rising build-out costs. Providers are often competing for the same customers on the same streets. The sector now has roughly $12.06 billion in debt from rising costs involving laying fiber optic cables and construction.

Neither firm is in a rush to sell its broadband companies, with Warburg conducting a wider assessment of its plan for Community Fiber. James Ratzer , analyst at New Street Research, said, “Buyers are now very selectively focused on good fiber assets – and Community Fiber is one of those.”

In the U.S. KKR has significantly grown its investment in the broadband sector in the past year, working with T-Mobile to acquire half of fiber ISP Metronet in a multibillion-dollar partnership.