KCOM PIA duct and pole sharing starts 1st August 2025

Residents in the old KCOM footprint of Hull can look forward to less duplication of telecoms infrastructure as KCOM launches its PIA service which will broadly mirror the Openreach PIA.

The Hull area saw KCOM complete its FTTP rollout in 2019, though there have been small additions from new builds and wayleaves finally progressing. Subsequent to this early lead in full fibre coverage a number of alt-nets have been building to increase competition such that the City of Kingston upon Hull is at 99.99% full fibre availability and 77.5% of premises have an altnet option already.

Unfortunately there was until now no functioning duct and pole sharing option over the KCOM network that the altnets were happy to use and this lead to extra poles and pavement digging leading to various objections by residents.

Starting on 1st August 2025 all communication providers will be able to access KCOM passive infrastructure, i.e. the ducts and poles. With so much altnet footprint already built this may seem late, but access to KCOM poles and ducts will help with the final connection of homes on top of building the infrastructure in the streets. Phrased another way, increasing take-up rather than just premises passed will be easier now. In areas which have seen boycotts of infrastructure it is not impossible that some altnet infrastructure could be removed but that is probably an edge case e.g. objections to an extra pole that has reduced pavement width when KCOM ducts are now available.

“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.“

Jan Collins, Managing Director, KCOM Enterprise

“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.”

Guy Miller, Chief Executive of MS3 Networks

“The launch of KCOM’s infrastructure sharing is a much welcome development, marking a positive and long-awaited step forward for broadband competition in our area. For too long, residents have raised concerns about duplicate poles, unnecessary street works, and the visual impact on our neighbourhoods. “The meeting I organised in January 2024, with MPs, KCOM, MS3, and Connexin, brought a real focus to the issue. All MPs across the area have worked together to apply pressure, resulting in today’s announcement of a collaborative, sensible approach to infrastructure sharing. I am grateful to KCOM for implementing these arrangements and hope to see other providers, such as MS3 and CityFibre, utilise the existing infrastructure, as they have long requested. This is about getting the balance right between progress and preserving the places we call home.”

Sir David Davis, MP for Goole and Pocklington

“I’ve supported residents’ calls for broadband infrastructure sharing for a long time, so I’m really pleased to see KCOM’s PIA is now up and running. This is a positive step forward for our city, as this could help to reduce the need for duplicate poles and street disruption while opening the door to greater competition and choice for consumers. I hope that all broadband providers currently operating in Hull, or looking at entering the market, consider making use of this shared infrastructure to help deliver better, fairer broadband for everyone in our community.”

Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West and Haltemprice

“This is good news. In recent years, the need to roll-out high-speed broadband combined with the removal in 2013 of any legal requirement to consult about the placement of telecoms equipment resulted in many more additional telegraph poles being located in local communities. Local MPs were inundated with complaints about pavement clutter, obstructed driveways and inconvenience. That’s why I welcome the work to put in place more common-sense arrangements for sharing KCOM’s infrastructure.”

Dame Diana Johnson, MP for Hull North and Cottingham

“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!”

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness

A lot of quotes because the KCOM footprint impacts the constituents of so many MPs and they will have no doubt all received complaints from residents about excessive pole placement in their area.

The KCOM PIA product builds on what was learnt during the trial, and with the launch the pricing, principles and processes for consuming the PIA product are now fully defined. KCOM has a page specifically for detail on the PIA service if you are interested.