KCOM in the awards spotlight once again thanks to full fibre investment
The ground-breaking broadband network has been shortlisted for another prestigious national award
Ultrafast Lightstream receives national recognition
KCOM has claimed another prestigious national award for its UK-leading Lightstream full fibre broadband rollout.
The Hull-based IT and communications provider scooped the Fibre Connectivity Award at the Connected Britain Awards yesterday, in recognition of its Lightstream broadband network.
KCOM overcame stiff opposition from 13 other industry-leading finalists to take the sought-after award.
Sean Royce, KCOM’s managing director, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be bringing the Fibre Connectivity Award home to Hull. Our full fibre rollout has been a massive achievement. It has taken seven years and £85m to complete, but it’s now an exemplar to the rest of the UK of what a successful fibre rollout should look like.
“This recognition from our industry peers shows that we’re doing the right thing and giving our customers internet speeds that most of the UK can only dream about.
“It’s putting our region on the national map. Now, when national businesses look at investing in Hull, we’ll be able to point to even more evidence that we have a digital infrastructure that’s second to none.”
Lightstream full fibre broadband is now available across KCOM’s Hull and East Yorkshire network, compared to just seven per cent of the rest of the UK.
The Government has stated plans to have the whole of the UK connected to fibre broadband by 2033, putting Hull and East Yorkshire at least 14 years ahead of the rest of the country.
KCOM’s investment in full fibre for Hull and East Yorkshire is already paying dividends for local businesses. An independent report recently revealed that Lightstream now adds an extra £125m each year to the local Hull and East Yorkshire economy.
Sean Royce said Lightstream had put “a rocket booster” behind the local economy, adding: “Our product is as fast and as good as anything in the UK - if not the world. If Hull was its own nation it would be the fastest in the world.
“The average speed across our network is 73.7Mbps – that’s 13Mbps faster than Singapore which was named last year as the fastest broadband nation on Earth.”
The Connected Britain awards were launched in 2018 to “celebrate innovation and ambition across the UK's fixed line and mobile telecommunications sectors”.
Chris Kelly, chair of the awards judging panel, said: “With FTTH levels in the UK up to seven per cent, this was a hotly contested category. KCOM scooped the accolades for bringing ultrafast broadband services to 200,000 businesses and consumers in East Yorkshire.
“2019 could be a pivotal year for connectivity in the UK, with the country looking to roll out 5G mobile network services and dramatically increase fibre penetration on the fixed line side of the industry.
“The judges have been really impressed with the number and quality of the entries we've received.”
The Fibre Connectivity Award is the latest recognition for KCOM.
The company recently claimed the best Urban Impact Award at the inaugural Altnet awards. These are organised by the Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) to celebrate excellence in the development of digital communication networks in the UK.
KCOM has also been nominated in three award categories - Best Consumer Broadband, Best Customer Solution and Best PR Campaign at the forthcoming Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) Awards.