KCOM to Launch Broadband Infrastructure Sharing in Hull UK on 1st August 2025

Hull-based network operator KCOM, which has already deployed their own full fibre (FTTP) broadband network across a big chunk of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, has today confirmed that their new infrastructure sharing solution (i.e. giving rivals access to their cable ducts and poles) will officially go live on 1st August 2025. But is it too little, too late.

The development won’t come as a surprise to ISPreview’s readers because we already reported on the launch of their Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) Reference Offer Product and pricing at the start of this month (here). At present, KCOM’s network is still deemed by Ofcom to hold Significant Market Power (SMP) in the Hull area, but until recently they haven’t been offering a true PIA solution like Openreach to help rivals gain access to run new fibre via the incumbents existing cable ducts and poles.

KCOM’s local rivals (MS3, Connexin etc.) have long argued for a PIA solution because it would reduce their civil engineering costs and speed up deployments of gigabit-capable broadband, while also helping to avoid some of the anti-pole protests that have impacted a few recent roll-outs. The latter became somewhat of a political issue in 2023 and 2024 (here, here and here), which ultimately ended up placing greater pressure on KCOM to produce a PIA-alike solution.

Since last year, the local incumbent has thus been busy developing a PIA solution alongside MS3, Connexin (CityFibre) and Grain, which is now due to go live tomorrow. The first iteration of the KCOM-PIA product is still somewhat of a manual process (akin to Openreach’s early approach from about a decade ago) and one that isn’t quite as attractive as Openreach’s solution (some costs still look expensive), but it’s still a big step forward.

Jan Collins, Managing Director of KCOM Enterprise, said:

“We’re committed to working collaboratively with all parties who have an interest in accessing KCOM’s infrastructure, and we’ve been grateful for the support and encouragement of our local MPs during the past year. It’s evident that Hull now has a thriving broadband sector. That is ultimately good news for residents and businesses who more than ever need fast, reliable and good value connectivity. Infrastructure sharing is an important part of delivering that across the city efficiently and without undue disruption to residents.”

Guy Miller, CEO of MS3 Networks, said:

“MS3 Networks acknowledges KCOM’s decision to launch its infrastructure sharing product, a long-overdue development. MS3 is reviewing whether the commercial variations to the national PIA product provided by Openreach are too significant to overcome or whether this product will be sufficient to avoid future infrastructure overbuild, something we all hope is the case. We remain committed to our ongoing trial, which is poised to bring network choice to an additional 3,000 homes and appreciate the continued support of local MPs for this vital community project.”

The catch in all this is that it comes at a time when Connexin is in the process of being acquired by CityFibre (i.e. future expansion across Hull is thus uncertain and had already been on somewhat of a pause). At the same time, MS3, which is currently dealing with wider financial / market pressures (like many altnets), has reduced its build to focus on greater commercialisation of what they’ve already deployed (in Hull specifically they’ve already covered around 130k premises RFS).

Ofcom are also preparing a separate Telecoms Access Market Review 2026 (TAR) specifically for the Hull area, which will no doubt take a closer look at KCOM’s solution. But the first proposals under that won’t be published for quite a few months. The key problem here is that KCOM’s PIA solution is the sort of development that would have had much more impact a few years ago and is now arriving a bit too late to the party to have a major impact.

The official announcement also included a lot of welcoming quotes from MPs in various parts of KCOM’s network patch, including some areas that saw complaints when rivals deployed new poles. But most of those say the same thing (too spammy to post), so we’ve just picked one:

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, said:

“All people in and around Beverley and Hedon have wanted is for KCOM to work with other internet providers to stop the erection of ugly and unnecessary poles and help bring prices down for all of us. So I was delighted when KCOM announced that they would start a pole sharing trial and it’s great for everyone in our area that we now have a competitive market in broadband, just like everyone else in the country. I’m grateful to everyone at KCOM who have made this happen and now the ball is in other telecoms companies’ court. I’ll be watching with great interest to see whether the likes of MS3 and CityFibre take KCOM up on this offer, having asked for it for so long!”