<p>對破產的倫敦寬帶供應商 G.Network 的潛在救助計劃因擔心老鼠啃咬光纖電纜而被排除在外。</p>
<p>社區寬帶（Community Fibre），作為首都的競爭網絡建設者，一直在考慮從管理人手中收購 G.Network，後者在上個月因其 3 億英鎊的債務和僅有的 25,000 名寬帶用户而被迫進入破產程序。</p>
<p>然而，社區寬帶首席執行官 Graeme Oxby 告訴《每日電訊報》，救助計劃不會繼續進行，部分原因是修復老鼠損壞電纜的費用。</p>
<p>“老鼠喜歡管道，它們也喜歡非常美味的光纖，” 他説，並補充説，修復損壞的高昂費用在一定程度上阻礙了他公司對 G.Network 的救助。</p>
<p>“這並不是我們特別感興趣的事情，因為我們認為它有很多結構性問題，並且修復成本相當高，” 他補充道。</p>
<p>老鼠以尋找築巢材料而攻擊地下光纖電纜，在某些情況下被指責為導致互聯網連接中斷。</p>
<p>Openreach 曾將兩年前 Tring 的網絡問題歸咎於築巢的老鼠，工程師發現老鼠啃咬了堅固的管道、外殼和多根電纜——這些通常需要鑽孔才能穿透。</p>
<p>上個月，唐卡斯特的居民和企業也遭遇了與老鼠相關的寬帶問題，當地國會議員兼能源部長 Ed Miliband 表示，這些問題是由於 “老鼠損壞” 造成的。</p>
<p>他説他已經 “詢問了 [Openreach] 他們將如何防止未來發生如此廣泛的停機”。</p>
<p>像 Openreach 這樣的寬帶公司通常會封閉電纜的開口，以防止老鼠進入。它們還可以重新佈線以避開老鼠巢。</p>
<p>這對 G.Network 來説是個問題，因為它的大部分寬帶電纜都鋪設在繁忙倫敦道路的管道中，而不是像競爭對手那樣鋪設在人行道下。</p>
<p>行業消息人士表示，這意味着該公司需要挖掘道路以進行與老鼠相關的修復工作，導致高昂且具有破壞性的封閉。</p>
<p>包括伊斯靈頓在內的首都地區的居民曾因 G.Network 的安裝工作而抱怨長時間的干擾。</p>
<p>G.Network 本月初在被私募股權公司 FitzWalter Capital 收購僅一週後便陷入管理程序。</p>
<p>FitzWalter 是一家專門投資困境資產的 “禿鷲基金”，現在將尋求出售 G.Network 的光纖寬帶網絡及其客户基礎。</p>
<p>這家寬帶公司是數十家所謂的 “替代網絡”（alt-net）寬帶公司之一，這些公司興起以挑戰 BT，但因利息成本飆升和用户接受度低而面臨壓力。</p>
<p>該公司之前由 USS 養老金基金和 Cube 基礎設施管理公司擁有，隨後陷入困境。</p>
<p>分析師預測，隨着初創公司在債務重壓下掙扎，替代網絡行業將出現一波合併和倒閉潮。</p>
<p>除了 G.Network，農村寬帶公司 Gigaclear 也即將被包括 Natwest 和由納税人支持的國家財富基金在內的貸款方接管。</p>
<p>但 Oxby 先生淡化了整合的重要性，堅稱一些替代網絡仍然可以生存並挑戰 BT 的主導地位。</p>
<p>他説：“顯然會有困境中的整合，可能是貸款方主導或專業人士主導，但我們認為整合並不是唯一的解決方案。</p>
<p>“最近似乎替代網絡只存在於整合中。我們成立的目的是成為現有公司的成功競爭者，併為市場引入一些競爭……我認為這一點有些被忽視了。”</p>
<p>社區寬帶去年將客户基礎擴大到 429,000，增長超過四分之一，收入幾乎增長了 50% 至 1.12 億英鎊。</p>
<p>這家寬帶公司由包括私募股權公司 Warburg Pincus 和鐵路養老金計劃 Railpen 在內的投資者財團擁有。</p>

BT.A

<p>對破產的倫敦寬帶供應商網絡的潛在救助計劃因擔憂其光纖電纜受到老鼠損害而被放棄。競爭對手 Community Fibre 曾考慮收購該網絡，但因修復成本過高而受到阻礙。該網絡目前負債 3 億英鎊，僅有 25,000 名用户，最近被置於管理之下。分析師預測，隨着許多公司面臨債務壓力，替代網絡寬帶行業將進一步整合。然而，Community Fibre 旨在儘管面臨行業挑戰，仍保持與 BT 的競爭力</p>

<p>A potential rescue bid for the bust London broadband provider G.Network has been ruled out over fears that rats have chewed through its fibre-optic cables.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>對破產的倫敦寬帶供應商 G.Network 的潛在救助計劃因擔心老鼠啃咬光纖電纜而被排除在外。</p>
</div><p>Community Fibre, a rival network builder in the capital, has been considering an acquisition of G.Network from administrators, who were called in last month when its £300m of debts and broadband subscriber base of just 25,000 forced it under.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>社區寬帶（Community Fibre），作為首都的競爭網絡建設者，一直在考慮從管理人手中收購 G.Network，後者在上個月因其 3 億英鎊的債務和僅有的 25,000 名寬帶用户而被迫進入破產程序。</p>
</div><p>However, Community Fibre chief executive Graeme Oxby told The Telegraph the rescue would not go ahead, partly because of the cost of repairing rodent damage to cables.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>然而，社區寬帶首席執行官 Graeme Oxby 告訴《每日電訊報》，救助計劃不會繼續進行，部分原因是修復老鼠損壞電纜的費用。</p>
</div><p>“Rodents like ducts and they like fibres which are very tasty,” he said, adding the prospect of costly work to fix the damage had partly deterred a rescue of G.Network by his company.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“老鼠喜歡管道，它們也喜歡非常美味的光纖，” 他説，並補充説，修復損壞的高昂費用在一定程度上阻礙了他公司對 G.Network 的救助。</p>
</div><p>“It’s not something we’ve been particularly interested in because we think it’s got quite a lot of structural issues and would be quite an expensive fix,” he added.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“這並不是我們特別感興趣的事情，因為我們認為它有很多結構性問題，並且修復成本相當高，” 他補充道。</p>
</div><p>Rats are known to attack underground fibre-optic cables in search of nesting material and in some cases have been blamed for internet connections being disrupted.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>老鼠以尋找築巢材料而攻擊地下光纖電纜，在某些情況下被指責為導致互聯網連接中斷。</p>
</div><p>Openreach blamed nesting rats for days worth of network issues in Tring two years ago, with engineers discovering rats had chewed through strong ducting, outer casing and multiple cables – which typically require a drill to penetrate.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>Openreach 曾將兩年前 Tring 的網絡問題歸咎於築巢的老鼠，工程師發現老鼠啃咬了堅固的管道、外殼和多根電纜——這些通常需要鑽孔才能穿透。</p>
</div><p>Residents and businesses in Doncaster were also hit with rat-related broadband issues last month, with local MP and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband saying the issues were caused by “rodent damage”.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>上個月，唐卡斯特的居民和企業也遭遇了與老鼠相關的寬帶問題，當地國會議員兼能源部長 Ed Miliband 表示，這些問題是由於 “老鼠損壞” 造成的。</p>
</div><p>He said he had “asked [Openreach] what they’re going to do to prevent widespread outages like this in future”.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>他説他已經 “詢問了 [Openreach] 他們將如何防止未來發生如此廣泛的停機”。</p>
</div><p>Broadband companies such as Openreach typically seal openings to cables to try to prevent rats accessing them. They can also re-route cables to avoid nests.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>像 Openreach 這樣的寬帶公司通常會封閉電纜的開口，以防止老鼠進入。它們還可以重新佈線以避開老鼠巢。</p>
</div><p>This is a problem for G.Network because it has laid much of its broadband cables in ducts located in the middle of busy London road, rather than under pavements like its rivals.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>這對 G.Network 來説是個問題，因為它的大部分寬帶電纜都鋪設在繁忙倫敦道路的管道中，而不是像競爭對手那樣鋪設在人行道下。</p>
</div><p>Industry sources said this meant the company was required to dig up the road to carry out rodent-linked repair work, leading to costly and disruptive closures.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>行業消息人士表示，這意味着該公司需要挖掘道路以進行與老鼠相關的修復工作，導致高昂且具有破壞性的封閉。</p>
</div><p>Residents in areas of the capital including Islington have previously complained of lengthy disruption as a result of G.Network’s installation works.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>包括伊斯靈頓在內的首都地區的居民曾因 G.Network 的安裝工作而抱怨長時間的干擾。</p>
</div><p>G.Network was plunged into administration earlier this month just a week after it was acquired by the private equity firm FitzWalter Capital.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>G.Network 本月初在被私募股權公司 FitzWalter Capital 收購僅一週後便陷入管理程序。</p>
</div><p>FitzWalter, a so-called “vulture fund” that specialises in distressed assets, will now seek to sell off G.Network’s fibre broadband network and its customer base.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>FitzWalter 是一家專門投資困境資產的 “禿鷲基金”，現在將尋求出售 G.Network 的光纖寬帶網絡及其客户基礎。</p>
</div><p>The broadband firm is one of dozens of so-called “alt-net” broadband firms that have sprung up to challenge BT but found themselves under strain from surging interest costs and poor take-up.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>這家寬帶公司是數十家所謂的 “替代網絡”（alt-net）寬帶公司之一，這些公司興起以挑戰 BT，但因利息成本飆升和用户接受度低而面臨壓力。</p>
</div><p>The company was previously owned by the USS pension fund and Cube Infrastructure Managers before it fell into trouble.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>該公司之前由 USS 養老金基金和 Cube 基礎設施管理公司擁有，隨後陷入困境。</p>
</div><p>Analysts have predicted a wave of mergers and collapses across the alt-net sector as startup firms struggle under the weight of their debts.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>分析師預測，隨着初創公司在債務重壓下掙扎，替代網絡行業將出現一波合併和倒閉潮。</p>
</div><p>In addition to G.Network, rural broadband firm Gigaclear is poised to be taken over by lenders including Natwest and the taxpayer-backed National Wealth Fund.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>除了 G.Network，農村寬帶公司 Gigaclear 也即將被包括 Natwest 和由納税人支持的國家財富基金在內的貸款方接管。</p>
</div><p>But Mr Oxby played down the significance of consolidation, insisting that some alt-nets could survive to challenge BT’s dominance.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>但 Oxby 先生淡化了整合的重要性，堅稱一些替代網絡仍然可以生存並挑戰 BT 的主導地位。</p>
</div><p>He said: “Clearly there are going to be the distressed consolidations, maybe lender-led or specialist-led, but we don’t feel that consolidation is the only answer.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>他説：“顯然會有困境中的整合，可能是貸款方主導或專業人士主導，但我們認為整合並不是唯一的解決方案。</p>
</div><p>“Recently it’s seemed that alt-nets only exist to consolidate. We set up to be successful competitors to the incumbent and introduce some competition into the market... I think that’s got lost a bit.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“最近似乎替代網絡只存在於整合中。我們成立的目的是成為現有公司的成功競爭者，併為市場引入一些競爭……我認為這一點有些被忽視了。”</p>
</div><p>Community Fibre grew its customer base to 429,000 last year, an increase of more than a quarter, and revenue rose by almost 50pc to £112m.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>社區寬帶去年將客户基礎擴大到 429,000，增長超過四分之一，收入幾乎增長了 50% 至 1.12 億英鎊。</p>
</div><p>The broadband firm is owned by a consortium of investors include private equity firm Warburg Pincus and the railway pension scheme Railpen.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>這家寬帶公司由包括私募股權公司 Warburg Pincus 和鐵路養老金計劃 Railpen 在內的投資者財團擁有。</p>
</div>

破產寬帶供應商的競標者因老鼠偏愛啃食光纖而望而卻步