aql, a wholesale telecommunications service provider, claims that a new number porting agreement could put it on the verge of ending, or at least eroding, some of KCOM's ( KC , Karoo ) telecoms and broadband ISP monopoly in the Hull and East Riding (Yorkshire, UK) area.

At present KCOM, which is also known as Kingston Communications, still holds Significant Market Power (SMP) in the area. Rivals have persistently complained that KCOM offers no real equivalent to BT's WLR3 (wholesale line rental) services, or even SMPF/MPF wholesale access.

Aql's new move might not go that far but it does offer an alternative to KCOM's existing setup, which ties subscribers' telephone numbers to their fixed line subscriptions. Under the new agreement these numbers can be ported away from KCOM's existing network and onto another fixed line, mobile or IP telephone based alternative.


In reality the development, despite being extremely positive, is still unlikely to free Hull from KCOM's grasp. Ofcom are still said to be consulting separately upon enhancements to the processes involved in securing wholesale access to KCOM's assets, though we've yet to see any firm movement on this.