KC has transformed the online experience of people living in the East Yorkshire village of Walkington by installing ‘fibre to the kerb’ to give residents average broadband connection speeds of around 15Mbps.

It’s no secret that across the UK, rural residents are less likely to enjoy high-speed broadband than people living in towns and cities.

That’s because an important factor affecting broadband speeds is the distance you are from the telephone exchange that your broadband service is delivered from. Put simply, the further you are from the exchange, the slower your broadband connection is likely to be.

It’s an issue that means the residents of Walkington village – which is around four miles from Beverley telephone exchange – have typically received broadband speeds of around just 1Mbps.

But KC’s significant investment in installing fibre means households in the village can now receive broadband that’s noticeably much faster.

Walkington Parish Councillor Ken Hearne was one of the first residents to experience the difference KC’s investment has made to his broadband connection. 

A keen online gamer, he regularly plays and downloads games, and says the faster connection speeds have transformed his experience online.

“Before KC installed the new fibre, I would typically connect at around 1.2Mbps, but now I’m consistently getting around 15Mbps, which is amazing.

“I downloaded a large game the other day which would have taken the best part of a day to download in the past, and it took just half an hour.

“My nephew, who lives in South Cave, has always had faster broadband than me and he was surprised to see how much my connection’s now improved – now he’s jealous of the speeds I’m getting!

“The difference is even noticeable even when I’m just browsing the web – pages load instantaneously now.”

Nick Thompson, KC’s Director of Consumer Services, said: “These days people use broadband for more than just web browsing. The growth of gaming and services like online TV mean high-speed broadband is more important than ever, and at KC we’re determined to give our customers reliable, fast connections no matter where they live.

“We’re delighted that the work we’ve done in Walkington has made such a difference."