Today, local communications provider KC, part of the KCOM Group, announced plans to transform the online experience of Hull and East Yorkshire residents, by installing optical fibre in parts of its network, linking customers’ homes directly to the internet via fibre technology.

The initial fibre deployment will make superfast broadband available to up to 15,000 local homes, with download speeds of up to 100Mbps. The first location fibre will be installed is Woodmansey, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

It means households will be able to stream videos, high definition TV, gaming, music, websites and other online services to multiple devices like PCs, iPads and TVs, simultaneously and with excellent picture quality.

KC’s network investment programme during the last 18 months has already led to customers of its Karoo Lite, Mid and Pro broadband services achieving average download speeds of 10.1Mbps –much faster than the average UK download speed of 7.5Mbps*.

KC’s fibre deployment will mean broadband ten times faster than this, so that customers can make the most of the continuing explosion in online entertainment services like catch-up TV and video on demand.

KC will use a number of fibre technologies as part of its deployment, including Fibre To The Home** (FTTH), which is the installation of fibre all the way from the telephone exchange to a customers’ home.  More than 3,000 local businesses already have fibre connections, and today’s announcement means consumers will soon be able to join them.

KC Chief Executive Kevin Walsh said: “Our fibre deployment is the latest stage of our ongoing work and investment to make sure our customers in Hull and East Yorkshire have access to the very best broadband in the UK”.

“During the past year we’ve upgraded our network and increased its capacity so that the vast majority of our customers can already achieve download speeds that would be the envy of many broadband users elsewhere in the UK. 

“That upgrade was the first stage in our programme to provide next-generation broadband and it’s meant we can offer speeds that are more than fast enough to meet the current demands of most customers.

“The trend is for people to spend much more time online, and use services that need much more bandwidth. Installing fibre is the next stage of our programme and means we’ll be able to meet the needs of the most bandwidth-hungry households today and in the future.”

Around 330 households, in Woodmansey which are already connected to Karoo will be able to take advantage of superfast download speeds by the Autumn.

You can register to be kept informed of our plans here