Co-operative Network Infrastructure: Rewiring the digital economy

The Co-operative Network Infrastructure (CNI) is a co-operative made up of over 50 members, both public and private, that are proving there is a different way to deliver and access the fibre networks that underpin the UK’s digital economy.

CNI enables its members to share access to digital infrastructure they already own - including fibre-optic cable and data centres - with other members of the co-operative. Rather than building competitive, proprietary networks, members collaborate to create connected systems that reduce costs, increase access, and support local economic development.

The co-operative was formed to solve a local problem: how to link the independently built fibre networks of Tameside Council and Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust in Greater Manchester. Traditionally, these kinds of networks remain siloed, with each organisation building and maintaining its own infrastructure – leading to duplication, waste and long-term costs. By retaining ownership and using the co-operative to connect and share, both organisations unlocked significant savings and new capabilities.

CNI’s mutual structure is central to its success. Members include local authorities, NHS trusts, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecoms providers. Each member, whether public or private, gets one vote. Monthly general meetings ensure decisions are made collectively. CNI only trades with its members, so value is retained and recycled within the network.

CNI is a co-operative that challenges how we build fibre networks – and who they are for. In a sector where scale and ownership usually means control, CNI shows that shared access, democratic governance and local leadership delivers better value and a more inclusive digital economy.

CNI stands as a blueprint for how infrastructure can be owned differently and shared more fairly. It shows how co-operative thinking can even run beneath our feet, connecting the future.