TalkTalk Business purchases Planet IT

This marks the firm’s first acquisition since its demerger from TalkTalk Group

Manchester-HQ TalkTalk Business has acquired Planet IT to strengthen its managed services offering and accelerate its evolution to a managed network services provider.

The deal combines Planet IT’s capabilities with TalkTalk Business’ national reach, connectivity solutions, advanced networking and UC offering.

The move is expected to enhance both organisations’ ability to support UK companies in adopting cloud technologies, enabling hybrid working and boost digital transformation.

Based in Oxfordshire, the acquired firm brings over 23 years of experience delivering managed IT support, cybersecurity solutions and Microsoft cloud services to SME and enterprise customers.

The organisation’s founders, Gavin Jones and Sean Smith, will continue to lead the business alongside the existing exec team.

“Bringing Planet IT into TalkTalk Business is an important step in expanding our managed services capabilities,” said Ruth Kennedy, CEO of TalkTalk Business.

“Planet IT’s strong technical capability, experienced team and loyal customer base complement our strengths in connectivity, while its culture and customer-first approach closely align with our own values.”

Jones added: “Over the past two decades, we have built a strong reputation for delivering high quality IT support and services.

“Joining TalkTalk Business gives us the scale and investment to build on that success.

“My co-founder Sean Smith and I will remain with the business, along with our leadership team, directors and staff, so our customers and suppliers will continue working with the same people they know and trust.”

The announcement comes a month after TalkTalk Business completed its demerger from parent company TalkTalk Group.

The managed network services provider said the split was designed to enable faster responses to customer demand, expand its product portfolio and support continued investment in customer service.

For the ten months ended 31 December 2024, TalkTalk Business reported revenue of £67.7m, down approximately 20 per cent from £84.6m.

The decline was attributed to reduced demand for voice products, alongside increased competition, which impacted top line performance through both customer churn and slower new customer growth.