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If your business premises are in Hull, your broadband market works differently from almost everywhere else in the UK. Openreach, the network behind BT and most national providers, does not run Hull's phone lines. KCOM does. That has given the city the best full fibre coverage in the country. It has also left many companies with less choice and higher prices than they would get elsewhere.
Just outside Hull, the picture changes again. Towns such as Hornsea, Driffield and Cleethorpes have a mix of KCOM, Openreach and newer full fibre networks. Some rural villages are still waiting for a fibre connection.
This guide explains which networks serve which parts of East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire. It sets out what KCOM charges business customers and what Ofcom's latest data shows for each area. It finishes with the options that make sense for each type of business.
TLDR: The Key Takeaways
Hull has the best full fibre coverage in the UK: 99.6% of premises can get full fibre, according to Ofcom's Connected Nations Spring 2026 data.
Most of Hull still buys from KCOM, but no longer has to: Ofcom's October 2026 decision on the Hull Area found that 80 to 90% of premises can now pick at least one alternative network. Even so, 70 to 80% still buy their broadband over KCOM's network.
CityFibre and MS3 have brought national brands to Hull: Sky, Vodafone, TalkTalk and Zen now sell broadband in parts of the city over these networks.
Coverage varies across the wider region: Full fibre reaches 94.5% of the East Riding and 93.1% of North Lincolnshire, but only 80.1% of North East Lincolnshire.
Why Does Hull Use KCOM?
Hull's council won a licence to run its own telephone system in 1902. Unlike every other local network, it was never absorbed into the national Post Office telephone system, which later became BT. That network became Kingston Communications and is now KCOM.
KCOM is still the principal fixed-line operator across what Ofcom calls the "Hull Area".
In practice, this has three consequences for businesses:
Openreach does not operate in the Hull Area: Providers that rely only on Openreach, which is most national business broadband brands, could not historically sell to Hull premises.
Hull got full fibre early: KCOM finished its £85m "Lightstream" rollout in 2019, years before most UK cities had meaningful full fibre coverage.
Competition arrived late: Rival full fibre networks only started building in Hull in the last few years, and the market is still adjusting.
The Hull Area does not stop at the city boundary. It covers around 198,000 premises in Hull and the surrounding parts of the East Riding, which have long been served by KCOM rather than BT. This is why firms in places like Cottingham and Hessle are usually in the same position.
Who Provides Business Broadband in East Yorkshire?
Four types of networks now serve the region. The networks below own the cables; the brand you buy from may be different.
Network | Where? | Approx. reach | Who sells the broadband? |
|---|---|---|---|
KCOM (Lightstream) | Hull Area, plus expansion towns in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire | Around 305,000 premises, about 200,000 of them in Hull | KCOM Business directly |
CityFibre (formerly Connexin) | Parts of Hull and the East Riding | More than 80,000 premises | 30+ providers, including Sky, Vodafone and TalkTalk |
MS3 Networks | Hull, East Riding, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Cleethorpes | More than 200,000 premises passed | Wholesale partners including Zen, TalkTalk and Open Fibre |
Openreach | Outside the Hull Area: most of the East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire | Varies by town | Most national providers |
Grain | A smaller patch of Hull, plus parts of North East Lincolnshire | Limited | Grain directly |
Quickline (Project Gigabit) | Hard-to-reach rural premises in the East Riding and Lincolnshire | 13,270 premises passed by February 2026 | Quickline and partners |
KCOM
KCOM is still the default choice for most Hull businesses, largely because it was the only choice for so long. Its network is mostly underground and almost entirely full fibre. Since 2020, KCOM has also expanded into market towns such as Driffield, Pocklington, Hornsea, Withernsea, Goole and Bridlington, and into parts of North Lincolnshire.
CityFibre
CityFibre bought Connexin's Hull network in March 2025 and opened it to more than 30 broadband providers in November 2025. This matters more than it might sound. It means that, for the first time, a business on the right street in Hull can buy broadband from some of the same national brands available in Leeds or London.
MS3 Networks
MS3 is a Hessle-based wholesale network. It sells through partner providers rather than directly. Its 2025 deal with Zen covers 212,500 properties across Hull, North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, which gives businesses a well-known business-grade brand on a non-KCOM network.
Openreach
Outside the Hull Area, Openreach works much as it does in the rest of the UK. If your business is in Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scunthorpe or rural East Riding, you will usually have access to the same national providers as anywhere else, alongside any local full fibre networks.
How Good is Broadband in East Yorkshire and the Humber?
The region as a whole is well covered, but averages hide wide differences. We pulled the latest local authority figures from Ofcom's Connected Nations Spring 2026 data.
Area | Full fibre available | Gigabit-capable | Full fibre take-up |
|---|---|---|---|
Kingston upon Hull | 99.6% | 99.6% | 78% |
East Riding of Yorkshire | 94.5% | 94.5% | 53% |
North Lincolnshire | 93.1% | 93.8% | 36% |
North East Lincolnshire | 80.1% | 94.2% | 21% |
York (for comparison) | 86.6% | 90.3% | 33% |
Leeds (for comparison) | 93.1% | 96.0% | 47% |
UK average | 81.0% | 87.8% |
Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026
What The Data Tells Us
Hull ranks first of 361 UK local authorities for full fibre coverage and for take-up.
Across the four Humber councils, about 93% of premises can get full fibre. That is roughly 12 points ahead of the UK average.
North East Lincolnshire is the outlier. Around 15,000 premises there still cannot get full fibre. Gigabit coverage is much higher (94.2%), which suggests cable broadband fills much of the gap. Only 21% of premises have actually taken up full fibre, the lowest figure in the region.
The result is that the "postcode lottery" in this region is less about whether fibre exists and more about who owns it. In Hull, almost every business can get full fibre, but the price and the choice depend on which networks reach your street. In North East Lincolnshire, some companies still cannot get full fibre at all.
What Are The Options in Other East Yorkshire Towns?
The table below uses Ofcom data at constituency level, which is the closest public breakdown to town level. Each constituency covers a wider area than the town itself, so treat these figures as a guide and check your own postcode.
Town | Constituency | Full fibre | Gigabit | Networks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cottingham | Hull North and Cottingham | 99.7% | 99.7% | KCOM, plus any Hull Area alternatives on your street |
Hessle | Hull West and Haltemprice | 99.5% | 99.5% | KCOM, plus any Hull Area alternatives on your street |
Hornsea | Beverley and Holderness | 91.4% | 91.4% | KCOM, Openreach |
Withernsea | Beverley and Holderness | 91.4% | 91.4% | KCOM, Openreach |
Driffield | Bridlington and The Wolds | 92.8% | 92.8% | KCOM, Openreach |
Cleethorpes | Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes | 91.1% | 96.9% | Openreach, MS3, Grain, cable |
Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026
Business Broadband in Cottingham
Cottingham sits inside the Hull Area, so full fibre coverage is effectively universal. KCOM is the default provider. The question for a Cottingham business is not whether you can get fast broadband but whether you have a second network to compare against. Check your address with CityFibre and MS3 before renewing with KCOM.
Business Broadband in Hessle
Hessle is in the same position as Cottingham: near-universal full fibre, with KCOM as the incumbent. It's worth noting that MS3 is headquartered in Hessle, though that does not guarantee its network reaches every street in the town.
Business Broadband in Hornsea and Withernsea
Both towns sit outside KCOM's original Hull network. KCOM expanded here in 2021, covering around 3,900 premises in Hornsea and 2,900 in Withernsea. Because these are expansion areas, Openreach-based providers are also available. That usually gives businesses here more choice than their counterparts in central Hull.
Business Broadband in Driffield
Driffield was the first town in KCOM's expansion programme, with around 6,500 premises covered. Openreach also operates here. Businesses on the edge of town or on nearby farms should check carefully, as coverage in the wider Bridlington and The Wolds constituency drops below the town figure.
Business Broadband in Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is outside KCOM's territory. It has Openreach, MS3's full fibre network and Grain in parts. The gap between full fibre (91.1%) and gigabit (96.9%) in the constituency suggests cable broadband also reaches many premises. For most Cleethorpes businesses, this is one of the more competitive markets in the region.
How Much Does KCOM Business Broadband Cost?
KCOM's current business website shows its packages but not its prices, which are only available by postcode check or phone. The prices below come from KCOM's Business Lightstream price list. All prices exclude VAT.
Package | Download/upload | 24-month price | 24-month total (with £50 connection) |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Full Fibre Lightning | 75/75 Mbps | £39.99 a month | £1,009.76 |
Business Full Fibre 150 | 150/150 Mbps | £44.99 a month | £1,129.76 |
Business Full Fibre 300 | 300/300 Mbps | £49.99 a month | £1,249.76 |
Business Full Fibre 500 | 500/500 Mbps | £54.99 a month | £1,369.76 |
Business Full Fibre 750 | 750/500 Mbps | £64.99 a month | £1,609.76 |
Business Full Fibre 900 | 900/500 Mbps | £84.99 a month | £2,089.76 |
KCOM Business Lightstream price information. KCOM states that new-customer promotional prices may apply.
What is Included?
Included: line rental, unlimited data, a single static IP address and next-working-day repair.
Enhanced repair (same working day, Monday to Friday): £30 a month ex VAT on a separate 12-month contract.
Enhanced repair (same day, seven days a week): £50 a month ex VAT.
Up to six static IP addresses: £5 a month ex VAT.
Out-of-contract charge: an extra £5 a month if you don't renew.
Lead time: KCOM's price list quotes 46 days for installation.
The same-day repair add-on costs more than half the price of a 500 Mbps line. For a café or salon that can survive on a mobile hotspot for a day, the standard next-day repair is probably enough. For a business that takes all its orders online, a faster fix may be worth the money.
Is KCOM Expensive?
Ofcom thinks so. In its Hull Area market analysis, quoted in KCOM's own consultation response, the regulator noted that KCOM's retail prices have consistently been higher than comparable products from providers elsewhere in the UK or from alternative networks in Hull.
KCOM disputes how competitive the market is, but the direction is clear. If you have only ever been quoted by KCOM, you have no benchmark.
What Changed for Hull Businesses in 2026?
Three developments in 2026 affect anyone choosing broadband in the Hull Area.
1. Ofcom Confirmed New Rules for KCOM
Ofcom published its final Hull Area Review 2026 to 2031 decisions in October 2026, effective from 1 November 2026. KCOM must now give rival networks access to its ducts and poles on terms benchmarked against Openreach.
In plain terms, this should make it cheaper for other networks to reach more Hull streets, especially business districts in the city centre.
2. Ownership of KCOM is Under Review
KCOM's owner, Macquarie, reached a capital restructuring agreement in February 2026 that may lead to a sale, an asset sale or a reorganisation. KCOM's parent company also reported a write-down of around £530m in the value of its assets.
We don't think this is a reason for KCOM customers to panic. Networks rarely stop working when they change hands, and Ofcom regulates KCOM's wholesale services. It is, however, a reason to read your contract's price-change and exit terms before signing a new 24-month deal.
3. Copper Lines are Being Switched Off
KCOM is moving all customers off its old copper network. Analogue phone lines, ADSL broadband, ISDN2, Centrex and some ISDN30 services will no longer be supported, and KCOM's business switchover FAQs state the move to full fibre is mandatory.
If your card machine, alarm, lift line or fax still uses an analogue line, speak to KCOM or your equipment supplier now. Our guide to VoIP phone systems explains the alternatives.
Common Misconceptions About Connectivity in Hull
"You can only get KCOM in Hull." This was true for most of the last century. It is no longer true for most premises. Ofcom's October 2026 figures show 80 to 90% of Hull Area premises can now choose at least one alternative network.
"You can't get BT, Sky or Vodafone in Hull." Partly true. Openreach still doesn't operate in the Hull Area, so you won't get BT over Openreach lines. But Sky, Vodafone and TalkTalk now sell broadband over CityFibre's Hull network, and Zen and TalkTalk sell over MS3's.
"Full fibre everywhere means every Hull business has a good deal." Coverage and value are different things. Hull has the best coverage in the UK, but a high share of businesses are still on the incumbent's network, often on prices they have never compared.
"Everywhere in the region has the same choice." In practice, a business in Cleethorpes or Hornsea may have more providers to choose from than one in central Hull, because Openreach operates there alongside newer networks.
What About the Wider Region?
Outside Hull, Openreach has been investing heavily in the region. It announced a £30m investment to bring full fibre to around 100,000 more homes and businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber, including the East Riding locations of Gilberdyke, Howden, Leven, North Cave and Pocklington.
Government-funded Project Gigabit work is also under way. The East Riding received the fourth-highest number of Project Gigabit connections of any UK council between April 2025 and March 2026, with 7,420 premises.
The result is that Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the best-connected regions in the UK. thinkbroadband's tracking put gigabit coverage at 94.32% in February 2026, ahead of every English region and second only to Northern Ireland across the UK.
FAQs on Business Broadband in East Yorkshire
Is Openreach available in Hull?
No. Openreach does not operate in the Hull Area, which covers the city and surrounding parts of the East Riding. KCOM owns the main network there, and CityFibre, MS3 and Grain run alternative full fibre networks.
Can I get BT broadband in Hull?
Not over Openreach lines. National brands including Sky, Vodafone and TalkTalk now sell broadband in parts of Hull over CityFibre's network, so you may be able to get a national brand depending on your street.
Who is the cheapest business broadband provider in East Yorkshire?
It depends on your street. Where CityFibre or MS3 reach your premises, providers on those networks can undercut KCOM. Ofcom has found KCOM's retail prices to be consistently higher than comparable products elsewhere, so it's worth comparing before you renew.
How much does KCOM business broadband cost?
KCOM's January 2025 price list starts at £39.99 a month ex VAT for 75 Mbps and rises to £84.99 a month ex VAT for 900 Mbps on a 24-month contract, plus a £50 connection fee. Check current promotions by postcode.
Does Cottingham have full fibre broadband?
Yes. Cottingham is in the Hull Area, and the Hull North and Cottingham constituency has 99.7% full fibre coverage according to Ofcom's January 2026 data.
Is Hessle served by KCOM?
Yes. Hessle is part of KCOM's traditional network area, and the Hull West and Haltemprice constituency has 99.5% full fibre coverage.
Can I get full fibre in Hornsea or Withernsea?
Most premises can. KCOM extended its full fibre network to both towns from 2021, and Openreach also operates there. Coverage across the wider Beverley and Holderness constituency is 91.4%.
Is full fibre available in Driffield?
Yes, for most premises. KCOM covered around 6,500 Driffield properties as part of its expansion, and Openreach also serves the town. Rural premises nearby may have fewer options.
What business broadband is available in Cleethorpes?
Cleethorpes has Openreach, MS3's full fibre network and Grain in some areas, plus likely cable coverage. It is outside KCOM's territory, so you can choose from most national providers.
Will KCOM switch off my analogue phone line?
Yes. KCOM is withdrawing copper-based services, including analogue lines, ADSL and ISDN2, and moving customers to full fibre. Check any equipment that relies on a phone line, such as alarms or card terminals.
Is a leased line worth it in Hull?
For most small businesses, no. Full fibre broadband with a backup connection is usually enough. A leased line makes sense if you need guaranteed bandwidth or fast repairs.
Our business broadband vs leased lines guide explains the trade-off.
Why Compare Business Broadband with BusinessComparison?
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We offer an award-winning, highly-rated service
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Our Summary
East Yorkshire and the Humber has some of the best broadband infrastructure in the UK. The challenge for most companies is not coverage but choice.
In Hull, Cottingham and Hessle, full fibre is almost universal, but KCOM still dominates. Check whether CityFibre or MS3 reach your street before you renew.
In Hornsea, Withernsea and Driffield, KCOM and Openreach both operate, so compare both.
In Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Scunthorpe, you have some of the widest choice in the region.
In rural East Riding and southern North East Lincolnshire, check Project Gigabit plans and consider fixed wireless or satellite in the meantime.
