Phoenix Software has completed its transition to working exclusively with the UK public sector, following a strategic division of focus within Bytes Technology Group.

It now serves 11 public sector verticals: Central Government, Local Government, Policing, Fire and Rescue, Defence, Healthcare, Higher Education, Further Education, Schools and Trusts, Housing, and Charity and Social Impact.

The shift formalises a customer focus that has shaped most of Phoenix’s business for more than 35 years. Under the new structure, every account team, consultant, solution architect and customer success manager will work only with public sector organisations.

Bytes Technology Group had previously announced that Bytes Software Services would focus solely on the private sector, while Phoenix would take sole responsibility for the public sector market. With that change now complete, Phoenix is positioning itself as a specialist supplier to government and other publicly funded bodies.

Management argues that public sector buyers are often served by suppliers whose commercial and government businesses sit side by side. In Phoenix’s view, that model can blur the differences in procurement processes, funding structures and operating pressures across public services.

Its sector model is intended to reflect the range of institutions within the public sector rather than treating them as a single market. Different organisations, from local authorities to universities and emergency services, face distinct regulatory, operational and procurement demands.

Clare Metcalfe, managing director of Phoenix Software, described the decision as a defining change for the business.

“We are the UK’s public sector specialist. Not partly. Not alongside other things. Entirely. That is who we are now,” Metcalfe said.

She said that commitment applies across the company’s client base in public services.

“Every customer we serve in Central Government, Local Government, Policing, Fire and Rescue, Defence, Healthcare, Higher Education, Further Education, Schools and Trusts, Housing, and Charity and Social Impact will now be working with an organisation built entirely around their world,” she said.

Sector focus

Phoenix has aligned the business around each of the 11 sectors, with dedicated contacts and specialist knowledge for each area. Each segment has its own procurement frameworks, policy environment and buyer expectations.

That reflects the company’s view that even closely related parts of the public sector do not buy or use technology in the same way. Senior leaders in local government, for example, may work within the same institution while facing very different financial, legal and service pressures.

The same pattern applies across education and healthcare, where procurement rules, risk profiles and operational requirements can diverge sharply. Phoenix says those differences have shaped how it now organises teams and customer engagement.

Metcalfe said the company sees the public sector as a group of distinct operating environments rather than a single audience.

“Phoenix is a partner that has sector specialists built into it, rather than a partner with a public sector team bolted on,” she said.

She added: “The eleven sectors we work across each carry their own pressure: tight budgets, rising demand, regulatory scrutiny, sensitive data, and a workforce stretched thin. What they share is the expectation that technology delivers more without costing more. What they do not share is a framework set, a buyer language, a threat surface, or an operating rhythm. A partner built for the public sector has to hold both of those truths at once – the common ground and the eleven different worlds – and treat neither as an afterthought.”

Long history

Phoenix said the move builds on relationships and public sector work developed over more than three decades. The transition changes the organisation’s focus rather than its underlying market presence.

The business has historically worked in software licensing, infrastructure and related IT advisory services. Its customer base has included councils, NHS bodies, schools, universities, housing providers and charities.

Metcalfe said the shift is intended to sharpen that identity rather than create a new line of business.

“Phoenix has worked alongside councils, the NHS, schools, universities, housing providers, and charities for more than three decades. The frameworks, the credentials, and the customer relationships are already in place. What changes is not the foundation. It is the focus. The UK public sector needs a technology partner that is built for it, not adapted to it. This is us committing fully to where we have always been and where our future sits. Public sector is not a practice for us. It is the whole company,” she said.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

LightSpeed Networks has appointed Matthew Partridge as Managing Director, adding a telecoms executive with more than 30 years of sector experience to its leadership team.

He will lead the commercial and operational development of the infrastructure business as it targets mid-market and enterprise organisations, internet service providers, channel partners and wholesale buyers. He previously held senior roles at Colt Technology Services.

The appointment comes as network operators and service providers compete for business customers in a UK connectivity market shaped by heavy infrastructure spending and rising scrutiny of network reliability and accountability. As data demand grows, buyers are placing greater weight on operational ownership and service assurance.

LightSpeed Networks operates within the LightSpeed group and provides business connectivity, wholesale and network services. Its footprint covers the East of England and the East and West Midlands, where it sells Ethernet, dedicated internet access and wholesale connectivity.

The company says its network reaches 36 towns and passes more than 360,000 premises. It serves mid-market and enterprise customers, public sector bodies, ISPs and channel partners through direct, partner and wholesale routes.

Partridge said the market had moved beyond a basic debate about infrastructure availability and was now focused more squarely on who takes responsibility for service outcomes. His role will involve turning the company’s network assets and service model into offers aimed at a wider business customer base.

“The UK connectivity market has matured considerably. The infrastructure conversation has largely been won. What I see now is a market that needs a different kind of argument, one built around commercial accountability, clear operational ownership and the confidence that comes from working with a provider that is genuinely responsible for the outcome, not just the contract. LightSpeed Networks has the infrastructure foundation and the operational model to make that case credibly. I am here to build the commercial structure around it,” said Matthew Partridge, Managing Director, LightSpeed Networks.

His appointment follows the earlier arrival of Ashley Griffiths as Senior Sales Director. Griffiths joined to lead direct enterprise and partner sales channels, and the two executives now form a broader commercial leadership group spanning enterprise, wholesale and partner engagement.

Market focus

For network operators, competition for business and wholesale customers increasingly turns on service levels, fault handling and direct control over infrastructure, particularly in regional markets where fibre build-outs have expanded rapidly. LightSpeed Networks is positioning itself around that argument as it seeks to widen its presence among larger organisations and channel partners.

The company says its services are backed by service-level agreements and direct operational ownership. It argues that this approach addresses inconsistencies in how providers manage accountability and assurance across the wider market.

Liam Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of LightSpeed Group, linked the appointment to that commercial strategy.

“The businesses and partners we work with need a connectivity provider that takes genuine ownership of the outcome, not just the contract. What we are building at LightSpeed Networks is the infrastructure, the operational model and the commercial leadership to deliver exactly that. Matthew and Ashley further strengthen our commercial leadership, enabling us to take that proposition to market with even greater depth and clarity. That is what our customers and partners deserve,” said Liam Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of LightSpeed Group.

LightSpeed Group includes LightSpeed Networks as its infrastructure arm and LightSpeed Broadband as its retail business, which serves households and small businesses across the same fibre footprint. The latest leadership change signals a stronger push to develop the group’s business-facing and wholesale operations alongside its consumer activity.

Partridge takes up the role at a time when fibre network owners across the UK are under pressure to turn built infrastructure into long-term commercial relationships. For regional operators, that often means winning more enterprise, public sector and wholesale contracts in areas where network coverage is already in place.

LightSpeed Networks sees that opportunity across its existing footprint in the East of England and the Midlands, where it owns the underlying network and sells services directly and through partners. It intends to build its commercial structure around that owned infrastructure and service model.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Household electricity use in Great Britain rose year on year, according to Chameleon Technology, which based its findings on data from about 23,000 households.

Average household electricity consumption increased by 6.4% between March 2025 and March 2026, rising from 789 kWh to 839 kWh per home. Over the same period, gas consumption rose by 3%.

A longer-term review suggested a broader shift in domestic energy use. Over four years, electricity demand rose by about 18%, while gas use remained broadly flat.

The figures come as Ofgem’s latest energy price cap lifted annual dual-fuel costs to £1,862. Despite the added pressure on households, the data suggests electricity demand has continued to grow rather than contract.

One reason may be the spread of electric vehicles and heat pumps in homes, which is increasing both the amount of electricity households use and the times of day when they consume it.

The findings point to a shift in household energy use away from gas and towards electricity, with implications for both consumer bills and the wider energy system, particularly as more homes adopt electric transport and heating.

Chameleon, which makes in-home displays and other monitoring products, said the pattern also underlined the need for households to track their usage more closely. Tools such as energy apps, CT clamps and real-time displays can help people understand which appliances are driving demand, it said.

Kyle Brown, Chief Commercial Officer at Chameleon Technology, said: “Electricity demand isn’t slowing down, it’s shifting. As homes electrify, we’re seeing greater reliance on technologies like EV charging and electric heating, which are changing how and when electricity is used in the home.”

Brown said the rise in demand also raised broader questions about the energy network.

He added: “If this demand continues to grow – which it almost certainly will – we cannot keep putting off the widescale infrastructure reforms needed for the grid. We can’t focus on short-term affordability simply to push a complex problem down the line.”

Brown said many households were still not making effective use of the data available to them.

“At the same time, most households still don’t have clear visibility into how they’re using energy,” he said. “As demand grows, that becomes a bigger issue if people are expected to manage costs effectively. Without better insight, households are making decisions in the dark. That’s why it’s so important to encourage households to engage with their in-home displays or energy apps – the data is there, ready to be used.”

More than 20 million people in Great Britain have access to a Chameleon in-home display, according to the company. Its devices are present in more than a third of homes across the country.

The latest figures add to evidence that energy demand in homes is changing in character rather than simply rising or falling with prices. As transport and heating shift further towards electricity, suppliers, network operators and consumers are likely to face a more complex pattern of domestic power use.