KCom is celebrating a decade of its Lightstream full fibre broadband, a move it has described as a leap of faith that placed it as a UK forerunner.
It is now 10 years since the Hull-based provider connected its first customer to its network. As celebration plans are drawn up with a summer of events and giveaways, the £99 million turnover company's chief executive Tim Shaw has reflected on the pivotal moment.
Mr Shaw, who took over the helm earlier this year having joined in 2019, said: “When we started our rollout of full fibre broadband in Hull back in 2012, it was a bit of a leap of faith. Very few other broadband suppliers were taking the route of investing in full fibre, which delivers broadband straight to our customers’ doors, instead taking the option of other, cheaper technologies. But, a decade later, it’s been proved the right decision as the rest of the country is now scrabbling to catch up with the gold standard fibre connectivity our region has been enjoying for years.
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“KCom has always had a passion for progress throughout its 120 year history; always pushing the boundaries and at the forefront of new developments and technology – and with full fibre broadband we took the leap when no-one else would. That’s why now Hull has one of the best broadband networks in the country, if not the world.
“It’s a great sense of achievement to be able to mark the tenth anniversary of Lightstream which has unlocked so many benefits for people and businesses in this area.”
The decade has seen a transformation beyond recognition too, with the floated business having been taken private in a fierce bidding war that saw Macquarie come out on top. It has also sold off the huge national ICT business it had built up.
Among the highlights planned for the summer holidays include a KCom roadshow at locations across Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire where there will be cake and other goodies to giveaway, a celebration for the busiest broadband street in the region and free ticket competitions for top sporting events in the home city, including the derby when Hull FC take on Hull KR at the MKM Stadium.
Thousands of its “sought-after” K6 cream phone box keyrings - described as a collector’s item - will also be given away.
Full fibre brought Hull the title of first digital city, and it now reaches more than 250,000 properties with its fibre network. Analysis of the impact has found it helped to add an extra £850 million to the local economy, winning major local, national and international awards for its network infrastructure and broadband service.
It is a decade in which it has “stood shoulder to shoulder with the local community” too, according to Mr Shaw, with the firm helping hundreds of local charities with grants, donating hundreds of football team kits to local youth football teams and providing hundreds of hours of volunteering time for employees during Covid.
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