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Hull-region monopoly, own fibre network

KCOM Hull and East Yorkshire

The independent ISP that has run Hull’s telephone and broadband network since 1904, the only city in the UK where the incumbent is not BT. KCOM now serves around 120,000 residential customers across Hull, East Yorkshire and parts of North Lincolnshire over its own 100% full-fibre Lightstream network. This page covers current deals, contact lines and an honest read of what real customers say.

See KCOM deals Contact KCOM

At a glance

Founded 1904, one of the oldest UK telcos Hull and East Yorkshire only Symmetric 900 Mbps Lightstream FTTP Owns its own fibre network

Founded

1904

Years on the UK market

Residential customers

~120k

Hull and East Yorkshire

Top FTTP speed

900 Mbps

Symmetric download and upload

Premises passed

~200k

100% full-fibre Lightstream

About

Who is KCOM?

KCOM is the only major residential broadband provider in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire and parts of North Lincolnshire, and the only UK region where the historic telephone incumbent is not BT. The company started life in 1904 as the telephone department of Hull Municipal Corporation and has never been absorbed by the General Post Office, British Telecom or Openreach.

Today KCOM operates its own 100% full-fibre Lightstream network, passing roughly 200,000 premises with around 120,000 residential customers. By law it must wholesale that network to competing ISPs in the same way BT Openreach does, but in practice most national providers have chosen not to invest in Hull, leaving KCOM as the effective regional monopoly.

KCOM is regulated by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, and complaint handling falls under the Communications Ombudsman alternative dispute resolution scheme.

Current deals

KCOM Lightstream broadband deals available now

Headline prices verified on . Every Lightstream tier delivers symmetric upload and download, which is rare on the UK retail market and one of the few genuine advantages of being on KCOM’s own fibre rather than Openreach.

Best value for most Hull homes

Entry full fibre

Lightstream 100

Download

100 Mbps

Download (symmetric)

Upload

100 Mbps

Symmetric

£26 /month

18 months . £24.99 connection fee

  • Symmetric 100 Mbps upload
  • KCOM router included
  • Unlimited usage

Best for

A household of 2 to 4 streaming HD and working from home

See on KCOM

Mid full fibre

Lightstream 300

Download

300 Mbps

Download (symmetric)

Upload

300 Mbps

Symmetric

£32 /month

18 months . £24.99 connection fee

  • Symmetric 300 Mbps upload
  • KCOM router included
  • Unlimited usage

Best for

Four or more people gaming, streaming 4K, video-calling all day

See on KCOM
Fastest symmetric line in Hull

Top full fibre

Lightstream 900

Download

900 Mbps

Download (symmetric)

Upload

900 Mbps

Symmetric

£42 /month

18 months . £24.99 connection fee

  • Symmetric 900 Mbps upload
  • KCOM router included
  • Unlimited usage

Best for

Power users, large households, anyone moving large files

See on KCOM

Selectra is independent. KCOM does not pay us to feature any of these tariffs. We list its public deals so Hull households can compare them like-for-like against the few competing alt-nets that have entered the region.

Explore

What KCOM actually sells

KCOM is a much simpler product range than BT or Sky. Below is each service line and what it really covers in 2026, with a link to the deep-dive page where applicable.

Lightstream broadband

KCOM’s own full-fibre network (FTTP), built independently of Openreach and rolled out at 100% coverage across Hull plus large parts of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. Symmetric upload and download on every tier.

Open page

Home phone

KCOM is also Hull’s historic landline incumbent. Voice service is delivered over the same Lightstream fibre line under the analogue-to-digital switchover, with inclusive call bundles available as an add-on.

Open page

KCOM Business

A separate B2B arm for Hull and East Yorkshire SMEs: leased lines, hosted VoIP, fibre Ethernet and cyber-security, with 24/7 technical support on freephone 0800 9155 777 and a dedicated BusinessCare team.

Open page

Contact KCOM

Full directory of KCOM phone lines (residential, business, technical support, 24/7 faults), opening hours, emails and the Communications Ombudsman complaint route.

Open page

KCOM reviews

Honest, platform-by-platform read of what Hull customers actually say about KCOM: Trustpilot, Ofcom complaints data, the Which? survey and a Selectra audit of KCOM’s online presence.

Open page

Reviews snapshot

What customers actually say about KCOM

Scores collected from each platform on . Reading KCOM reviews honestly means accepting two facts: the Lightstream network itself is strong, and the regional monopoly removes the pressure that normally keeps customer service sharp.

Trustpilot, kcom.com

2.1 / 5

~2,500 reviews

Mostly negative

Headline Trustpilot score is low, dominated by complaints about price rises, the lack of competition in Hull and call-centre delays. Positive reviews still come in steadily on installation experience and the actual speed delivered once the line is live.

Ofcom complaints, fixed broadband

Not listed per 100k customers

Below 100k threshold

Mixed

KCOM is too small to appear in Ofcom’s quarterly per-100,000-customer league table, which only ranks providers above a certain volume. Hull customers therefore lack the like-for-like complaint benchmark BT, Sky and Virgin Media get.

Which? customer survey

Mid-table satisfaction

Sub-sample, Hull only

Mixed

Which? rates KCOM mid-table among UK ISPs on overall satisfaction, with above-average reliability (the network itself is good) but below-average value-for-money, reflecting the lack of competing offers in Hull.

Hull Daily Mail and local press

Mixed editorial sentiment

Years of coverage

Mixed

Local editorial coverage treats KCOM as a civic institution but routinely critiques its monopoly position, particularly around mid-contract price rises and outages affecting Hull-only households who cannot easily switch.

Read the full KCOM review

Selectra expert verdict

Independent read, no commission shaping

If you live in Hull or East Yorkshire, KCOM is, realistically, the only show in town. The Lightstream network is genuinely excellent: 100% full-fibre coverage was completed years before most of the UK got there, and the symmetric upload on every tier is a quiet luxury that BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media cannot match on their asymmetric Openreach or DOCSIS lines. Installation is handled by a local Hull team, fault response from 151 is genuinely 24/7, and the headline speeds you pay for are the speeds you get.

The honest weakness is exactly what you would expect from a regional monopoly. Monthly fees sit a few pounds above what a comparable Openreach line costs nationally, the annual price rise still bites every March, and the customer-service experience does not have to be brilliant because, for the most part, there is nowhere else to go. There is also no TV product to bundle. If you are a Hull household, accept that you are paying a small monopoly premium for a strong network and treat KCOM as the default. If you are anywhere else in the UK, you cannot order it anyway.

Verdict last reviewed 19 May 2026.

FAQ

KCOM broadband and contracts, your questions answered

Is KCOM available outside Hull?

Only just. KCOM’s Lightstream FTTP network covers Kingston upon Hull plus parts of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, including towns like Beverley, Cottingham, Hessle, Hornsea, Bridlington, Goole, Pocklington, Brigg, Epworth and Selby. If your postcode is outside this footprint, you cannot order KCOM at any price. The checker at kcom.com is the only reliable way to confirm.

Why is KCOM the only major ISP in Hull?

When the UK telecoms network was nationalised in 1912, Hull City Council kept control of its local telephone system. The independent network was never absorbed into the General Post Office, BT or Openreach. Other providers can legally use the KCOM network (and a handful of small alt-nets are starting to), but BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media have historically not invested in Hull, leaving KCOM as the effective regional monopoly. The cream-coloured phone boxes you still see in Hull are a visible reminder.

How much is KCOM Lightstream per month?

As of May 2026, KCOM Lightstream 100 starts around £26 a month, Lightstream 300 is around £32 a month and Lightstream 900 is around £42 a month. All three are 18-month contracts with a one-off £24.99 connection fee and inclusive unlimited usage. Promotional prices change, so always check the live KCOM site before signing.

Will KCOM raise my price during the contract?

KCOM applies a yearly price rise every March. Under Ofcom rules in force since 2025, that rise must be stated as a fixed pound-and-pence figure in your contract on day one. KCOM has migrated away from the old CPI + 3.9% formula. The rise is still real, but it is now a specific number rather than a moving target tied to inflation.

Does KCOM offer a TV product?

No. KCOM sells broadband and home phone only. There is no KCOM TV box and no equivalent of Sky Q, BT TV or Virgin’s 360 platform. Hull households who want pay-TV typically pair KCOM Lightstream with a streaming service (Netflix, Disney+, NOW, Apple TV+) or a Freeview box, which works fine over any broadband line.

How do I contact KCOM customer service?

The main KCOM contact number is 01482 605 605. For residential customer service and sales call 01482 602 555 (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–1pm). For 24/7 faults dial 151 from any KCOM landline or 01482 602 151 from any other line. Full directory is on our KCOM contact page.