COS Systems CTO to address altnet integration at Connected Britain 2026

COS Systems CTO Sajan Parikh will join a Connected Britain 2026 panel on how UK altnet operators can integrate networks after mergers and acquisitions. The company is using the announcement to highlight its Wholesale Engine, which it says is already running in live production for wholesale operators facing post-deal systems integration.

Why it matters: - UK fibre consolidation is pushing operators to solve a harder problem than dealmaking: combining the systems that run acquired networks. - Post-merger integration can erase expected synergies if subscriber records, provisioning, service catalogues and field operations do not align. - COS Systems is positioning its Wholesale Engine as a way to reduce that integration burden without replacing existing network stacks.

What happened: - COS Systems CTO Sajan Parikh will speak on the panel "Making consolidation a reality: integration and value creation" at Connected Britain 2026. - The session is scheduled for Theatre 2 on 10 September at 12:40 BST. - Parikh will address what happens to network operations after altnet deals close. - The panel is moderated by Alexander Ohlsson, Principal at Analysys Mason. - Co-panellists include David Tomalin of CityFibre, Sean Royce of Quickline Communications, Steve Glendinning of IDNet and Lee Smelt of Amdocs. - Parikh and Ashley Poling, VP Business Development, will be at the COS Systems table in the networking zone on 9 and 10 September.

The details: - COS Wholesale Engine operates as a coordination layer outside existing BSS/OSS stacks. - The platform manages service locations, zero-touch multi-vendor provisioning, RSP API integrations and wholesale billing from a single system. - Retail service providers keep their own billing and CRM systems while COS manages the infrastructure layer beneath them. - Standards-oriented REST APIs connect BSS/OSS, CRM, GIS, billing and partner systems. - The platform runs Calix, Nokia and Adtran equipment in parallel. - COS says the system does not require rip-and-replace during post-acquisition network integrations. - COS Wholesale Engine is in live production with wholesale operators in North America. - COS platforms also run multi-provider Open Access networks across Europe and the US. - COS Systems has been ISO 27001 certified since May 2026. - Parikh said two networks can be merged on paper in a quarter, but the systems underneath can take years because they were never designed to combine.

Between the lines: - The announcement is aimed at a market where transaction headlines often focus on scale, but operating complexity decides whether mergers actually create value. - COS is linking its product to broader standardisation work in both North America and the UK, which suggests the company wants Wholesale Engine to fit cross-market open access models. - Parikh serves as vice chair of the ATIS Open Access Network Forum, which is developing the Open Access Implementation Specification for business, operational, technical and regulatory considerations in North American fibre deployments. - The UK is working on a similar problem through INCA's wholesale standardisation programme. - COS says the API layer in Wholesale Engine is built to operate across both frameworks. - The UK fibre market is consolidating quickly, with more than 100 altnets originally built and around 80 still operating. - Ofcom's Telecoms Access Review 2026-31 statement, dated 17 March 2026, records average altnet take-up at around 18%, versus about 38% for Openreach. - nexfibre agreed to acquire Netomnia for GBP 2 billion, the largest altnet transaction on record. - The CMA referred the deal to a Phase 2 inquiry in July, with a statutory decision deadline of 15 December 2026.

What's next: - The Connected Britain panel will focus on how CTOs merge network stacks without disrupting service delivery. - The discussion will also examine how post-merger standardisation affects long-term operational efficiency. - COS Systems is directing attendees to more information on the company's announcement.

The bottom line: - As UK altnet mergers accelerate, the operational winner may be the platform that can stitch together two networks without forcing a full rebuild.