INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling
KCOM announces further
£100 million full fibre
broadband investment
/////////////////////////////
nationwide. Just 11% of UK properties
currently have access to full fibre broadband.
Digital Secretary, Nicky Morgan, said: “We
want every corner of the country to benefit
from world-class, gigabit-speed broadband,
so I welcome this big investment from
KCOM to give more businesses in Yorkshire
and Lincolnshire the opportunity to take
advantage of the fastest Internet connections.
“This government has committed £5
billion to make sure the hardest-to-reach
areas aren’t left behind and, together with
industry investment, it means real progress
is being made to build a connected, 21st
century Britain.”
H
ull-based broadband and
communications provider, KCOM
Group Limited, has announced plans
to invest approximately £100 million to
expand its full fibre broadband network. and North Lincolnshire. By investing to
develop and expand our networks, we hope
to deliver benefits to residents through
infrastructure that will also underpin growth
and innovation across the region.
KCOM, which completed a full fibre
broadband rollout to around 200,000
properties across Hull and East Yorkshire
in 2019, has revealed new plans to
push beyond the company’s traditional
boundaries to tens of thousands more
homes and businesses. “Our full fibre infrastructure is contributing to
the creation of a regional powerhouse. This
new programme will more than double our
investment in Fibre to the Premises.”
KCOM Chief Executive, Dale Raneberg, said:
“Our investment in Fibre To The Premises
technology to date has made Hull the UK’s
first full fibre city, with broadband speeds
that are the envy of the rest of the UK.
“I’m delighted to announce the first phase
of our new, ambitious plans to bring our
award-winning broadband to many more
homes and businesses in East Yorkshire
66
INTELLIGENTCIO
KCOM’s expansion plans are the first phase
of a wider programme of investment
to increase regional fibre accessibility,
supported by its new owner, MEIF 6 Fibre
Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund
6 SCSp (an investment fund managed by
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets
(Europe) Limited), which acquired the
company in August 2019.
The plans support the government’s goal to
make gigabit-capable connectivity available
Figures from industry experts, ThinkBroadband,
show that from October to December 2019,
the average speed on Hull’s full fibre network
was 101Mbps (megabits per second).
KCOM’s investment in full fibre broadband
in the city has had a substantial impact, with
the benefits of ultrafast broadband going well
beyond faster browsing. Research from tech
research consultancy, Innovation Observatory,
found that the overall estimated cumulative
economic impact was more than £469 million
between 2012 and 2018.
Beckie Hart, Regional Director of the
Confederation of British Industry, said: “Full
fibre connectivity is the key to unlocking the
potential of businesses of all shapes and
sizes across the UK.
“KCOM’s investment in making Hull the
UK’s first full fibre city is already delivering
benefits to the economy there. I welcome
the news of its plans to invest further to
make this vital infrastructure available
to many more thousands of homes and
businesses in the region.” n
www.intelligentcio.com