Nexthop

What Nexthop does

Nexthop is an Australian wholesale telecommunications carrier that builds, owns, and operates its own fibre network to deliver dark fibre, IP transit, business-grade fibre internet, and wavelength services. Founded in 2013 by Michael Lim and David Brown and headquartered in Sydney, the company targets enterprise customers, mid-market businesses, ISPs, and telecom carriers across five Australian capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide) with direct connectivity to 30+ data centres including NEXTDC, Equinix, Global Switch, and Macquarie Data Centre facilities. The core technology stack rests on proprietary dark fibre infrastructure using DWDM for high-capacity wavelength services and a Diverse Dual Core architecture with physically segregated lead-ins to eliminate common-path failure modes. The 2025-launched nextXC platform extends the portfolio into month-to-month datacentre-to-datacentre dark fibre with customer-supplied SFP support for 10G, 100G, and 400Gbps speeds.

Revenue is generated through recurring monthly subscriptions on dedicated dark fibre leases, IP transit ports (using 95th percentile billing), business internet subscriptions ranging from $250 to $499 per month at entry tiers, and wavelength service contracts. The go-to-market model is sales-led and consultative, supported by a formal partner referral program, with growth driven primarily by word-of-mouth referrals rather than paid acquisition. Notable customers include Canva, Disney Studios, FOX Sports, BBC Studios, News Corp Australia, NEP Australia, Australian Liquidity Centre, and ISPs such as URL Networks, Neptune Internet, Pentanet, and Techflow. The company reports a 99% customer retention ratio with 1% churn and serves over 500 businesses including several ASX 100 companies. Coverage spans 200,000+ commercial premises, and the business has grown organically since 2013 without disclosed external funding.

Name

Nexthop

Legal name

Nexthop Pty Ltd

Website

https://nexthop.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nexthop is an Australian wholesale fibre carrier that builds and operates its own dark fibre network, serving 500+ businesses and ISPs across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide with dark fibre, IP transit, wavelength, and business internet connectivity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Telecommunications Infrastructure

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Network Interconnection & Data Center Meet-Me Services (MMRs, carrier hotels, interconnect fabrics) (HDAIAEAK)

Keywords

• Dark fibre services
• IP transit services
• Fibre internet
• Wavelength services
• Datacentre connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Dark Fibre Services: Provides dedicated dark fibre infrastructure for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connectivity. Customers lease dedicated optical strands for complete control over their network. Revenue generated through long-term contracts with monthly recurring fees based on distance and capacity requirements.
2. IP Transit: High-speed internet connectivity for service providers enabling efficient data exchange and global network access. Revenue based on port capacity (1G, 10G, 100G, 400G) with committed information rates and burstable options using 95th percentile billing.
3. Business Grade Fibre Internet: Multi-gigabit internet plans (500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, 10Gbps) with symmetrical speeds delivered over owned fibre infrastructure. Monthly recurring subscription fees with various contract terms.
4. Wavelength Services (DWDM): High-capacity, low-latency connectivity between data centres using Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing technology. Revenue generated through dedicated wavelength capacity contracts.
5. Datacentre Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): Dedicated internet access solutions for datacentre environments with SLA-backed performance. Monthly recurring fees typically with 24-month contract terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Nexthop is an Australian wholesale fibre carrier that builds, owns, and operates its own fibre network to deliver dedicated dark fibre, IP transit, DWDM wavelength services, and symmetrical business-grade fibre internet (500 Mbps to 10 Gbps). Its flagship product, nextXC, provides month-to-month datacentre-to-datacentre dark fibre with cross-connect flexibility and SFP-enabled 10G/100G/400G speeds. Services target enterprises, ISPs, telcos, media companies, and financial institutions across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, with direct connectivity to 30+ data centres including NEXTDC, Equinix, Global Switch, and Macquarie Data Centres.

Product overview

Nexthop is an Australian telecommunications carrier offering a unified portfolio of fibre network infrastructure services built, owned, and operated on its own network. The core product suite centres on Dark Fibre (dedicated private fibre with full optical layer control) and Datacentre Dark Fibre (nextXC, offering month-to-month DC-to-DC dark fibre with cross-connect flexibility). These are complemented by IP Transit (wholesale internet connectivity), Business Grade Fibre (symmetrical multi-gig internet from 500Mbps to 10Gbps), Metro Wavelength and Intercapital Wavelength (DWDM-based high-capacity wavelength services for metro and long-haul connectivity), and Dedicated Internet Access. Additional services include NBN POI Backhaul, Custom Fibre Network builds, Data Centre Connectivity, Media & Content Production fibre solutions, and Out-of-Band Management. The portfolio serves enterprise, wholesale, and service provider customers across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dark Fibre Dedicated private fibre infrastructure providing exclusive, unlit optical strands leased to enterprises for total control over data transport, scalable to multi-terabit capacities via customer DWDM equipment. Designed for enterprises and wholesale customers requiring complete optical layer control and high-capacity point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connectivity.
• Datacentre Dark Fibre (nextXC) Month-to-month datacentre-to-datacentre dark fibre service offering the flexibility of a cross-connect with the capability of dark fibre. Enables DC-to-DC connectivity with customer-supplied SFPs at 10G, 100G, and 400G speeds across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Targeted at enterprises and ISPs needing flexible, high-speed inter-datacentre connectivity without long-term contracts.
• IP Transit Wholesale IP transit service providing high-speed internet connectivity for service providers, enabling efficient data exchange and global network access. Available in port capacities of 1G, 10G, 100G, and 400G with committed information rates and burstable options billed at the 95th percentile. Designed for ISPs and telco carriers requiring reliable wholesale transit.
• Business Grade Fibre (Multi-Gig Internet) Enterprise fibre internet service offering symmetrical speeds from 500 Mbps to 10 Gbps delivered over owned fibre infrastructure with dedicated private fibre, SLA-backed performance, and 24/7 Australian support. Targeted at enterprises requiring high-bandwidth internet with no shared contention.
• Metro Wavelength (DWDM) High-capacity, low-latency wavelength service using Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology for connectivity between metropolitan data centres. Designed for enterprises and carriers requiring scalable, dedicated wavelength capacity within Australian metro areas.
• Intercapital Wavelength Long-haul wavelength services using DWDM technology connecting major Australian capital cities including Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Brisbane, Melbourne-Perth, Sydney-Perth, and Melbourne-Brisbane routes. Targeted at enterprises and carriers needing high-capacity intercity connectivity.
• Datacentre Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) Dedicated internet access service for datacentre environments providing consistent throughput, exclusive bandwidth without shared contention, and SLA-backed performance. Typically offered on 24-month contract terms. Targeted at enterprises and ISPs operating from data centres requiring reliable, high-performance internet connectivity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% customer retention ratio with 1% churn rate
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• URL NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Strategic IP Transit partnership with URL Networks, a specialist in critical business telecommunications. Nexthop deployed additional 10G IP Transit ports across key business centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. The partnership enables URL Networks to offer superior network performance with load balancing across Australian time zones to avoid peak-hour congestion.
• Neptune Internet (RECLOUD PTY LTD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver premium internet services throughout Australia. Nexthop provides strong IDC capabilities, protected inter-cap connectivity to Melbourne, high-end IP transport, and advanced routing optimization support for Neptune's low-latency gaming-optimized internet services. Neptune operates as residential and business ISP using NBN network.
• NEXTDCcoreTechnology or IntegrationDirect dark fibre connectivity to NEXTDC data centre facilities including S1/S2/S3 (Sydney), M1 (Melbourne), B1/B2 (Brisbane), P2 (Perth), and A1 (Adelaide).
• EquinixcoreTechnology or IntegrationDirect dark fibre connectivity to Equinix data centre facilities including SY (Sydney), ME1/ME2 (Melbourne), BR1 (Brisbane), and PE2 (Perth).
• Global SwitchcoreTechnology or IntegrationDirect dark fibre connectivity to Global Switch GS1 data centre in Sydney.
• Macquarie Data CentrecoreTechnology or IntegrationDirect dark fibre connectivity to Macquarie Data Centre IC1 and IC2 facilities in Sydney.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vocus Communications: One of Australia's largest fibre and wholesale network operators, offering dark fibre, IP transit, and enterprise connectivity across major metros. Directly competes with Nexthop's core wholesale fibre and wavelength services portfolio.
• Superloop: Australian-founded network operator with owned fibre infrastructure connecting data centres across Australia and into Asia. Competes directly with Nexthop on dark fibre, IP transit, and DC interconnect services.
• Macquarie Telecom: Operates Macquarie Data Centres (IC1/IC2) and an Australian enterprise connectivity business. Comparable customer base in enterprise/financial services and overlapping fibre/DC interconnect offerings.
• Megaport: Australian-founded Network as a Service provider enabling data centre-to-cloud and DC-to-DC connectivity. Competes with Nexthop's nextXC and datacentre interconnect services across Australian metros.
• Aussie Broadband: Australian ISP and wholesale carrier with growing enterprise and wholesale divisions. Comparable NBN POI backhaul and business fibre offerings, though more retail-weighted than Nexthop.
• 5G Networks: Australian fibre and data centre operator providing dark fibre, IP transit, and managed network services. Directly competes in the same wholesale connectivity and DC interconnect segments.
• Cirrus Communications: Melbourne-headquartered business fibre and cloud connectivity provider offering symmetrical business internet, voice, and managed services. Competes in the Australian enterprise fibre segment.

Broad incumbents

• Telstra: Australia's largest incumbent telco with national fibre, mobile, and enterprise portfolios. Overlaps with Nexthop on dark fibre and DIA but as part of a much broader portfolio including consumer mobile and content.
• Optus: Major Australian incumbent owned by Singtel, offering enterprise fibre, IP transit, and wholesale services. Competes on enterprise connectivity but with a far broader consumer and mobile portfolio.
• TPG Telecom: Major Australian telco formed from TPG-Vodafone merger, offering consumer and enterprise connectivity including wholesale fibre services. Overlaps Nexthop on enterprise fibre but operates a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nexthop.com.au
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nexthop-australia
• Instagraminstagram.com/nexthop_au

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nexthop