Growing online, together

Why a full fibre future means the best online experience, with no frustrating dropouts, buffering, or endless waiting, according to KCOM

KCOM was not always known as such. As one of the oldest communications companies in the UK, it has been part of an ongoing evolution. Founded in 1904, the company was originally called the Hull Telephone Department. It was then bought by Hull City Council ten years later and became increasingly recognisable as a corporate entity thanks to its now-iconic white telephone boxes.

The evolution continued in 1987 with the company becoming Kingston Communications. Under that name, the telecommunications expert would roll out Europe’s first commercially available ‘fast internet’ using ADSL technology in 1998.

Though it would ultimately rebrand as KCOM in 2007, the company’s reputation continued to grow, unhampered by the various changes in name, as it went on to accumulate a greater market share, while also bolstering an already strong customer base. Since then, the company has become a leader in the UK communications services niche, connecting businesses and residential customers, and investing in better digital solutions for all.

In 2012, KCOM began to roll out Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband connectivity, enabling more than 95 per cent of households in the area to be passed by FTTP technology. This was a massive step for Hull. Thanks to KCOM, the city became the UK’s leading area for broadband, boasting the fastest and highest FTTP coverage across the country.

KCOM carried out its first major network expansion in 2020, bringing full fibre broadband to homes in East Riding of Yorkshire and – for the first time in the firm’s history – over Humber Bridge and into North Lincolnshire.