Notices

As of 1st February 2021 the only router despatched for self installation of services 75Mbps and above will be the Technicolor DGA4231 model.  Zyxel XMG3927 routers will continue to be fitted on engineer installations. 

Router distribution varies with the deployment:-

Please note that this is a distribution only change and all support processes remain the same.

Should you have any queries please contact us at wholesalepartners@kcom.com

Kind regards,

KCOM Wholesale

Christmas data cap suspension in the Hull Area

After what has been a challenging year, we want to make sure your customers are free to enjoy our network without the worry of data caps.

So, we are very pleased to announce that over Christmas we will be removing all data caps on our Connect Broadband Fibre and ADSL products, for both business and residential. After a hard year we hope this makes a small difference.

Usage limits suspended from 00:01 11^th December 2020 to 23:59 31^st January 2021 inclusive.

We are looking forward to working with you all in the new year and we are looking forward to share our new products and our network expansion plans.

Regards,

The KCOM Wholesale Team

November 2020 : Coronavirus / COVID-19 Update

With COVID-19 cases escalating there is potential for recurrence of disruption to our working arrangements. We are taking all reasonable steps to ensure that our services, installations and maintenance activities continue to be delivered without interruption and are working closely with our maintenance partners to ensure this.

All work will continue to be carried out in accordance with Government guidelines, supported by the additional measures that we introduced at the start of the pandemic. The safety of customers and engineers is paramount.

Please support us in our goal of prioritising vulnerable customers and NHS employees with regard to installation, maintenance and repair of services by making us aware of requests for these customer types.

We recognise that there may be events beyond our control that impede our activities and will keep you informed through our usual channels of any issues during this challenging time. 

During the national lockdown starting 5 November please see the following arrangements relating to engineering visits

We are requesting our engineers to

• Ask customers upon arriving at a customer’s home or business whether there are any individuals present either with symptoms or who are self-isolating; if this is the case, the engineer will be unable to proceed
• Use protective equipment such as gloves and in some cases face masks
• Please ask that any person(s) in the home is / are not in the same room(s) as the engineer when the installation takes place.
  
  To assist us in minimising risks to all parties we request that, when booking an appointment for a customer, please advise and ask:

• Government health advice relating to coronavirus is that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus infection should be self-isolating to protect others
• The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a new continuous cough or a high temperature
• Are you self-isolating, or do you have either of these symptoms?
• If the customer answers

• No – please book the appointment as normal but advise the customer that if their circumstances change, they must let you know. Please advise us of the change in situation.
• Yes – please advise the customer that unfortunately, their appointment will need to be rearranged until after their isolation period. Ask them when this is and book the appointment accordingly. Alternatively, the customer can call back to rearrange at a more convenient time
  
  If you receive a call from a customer that has been asked by an engineer to rearrange their appointment

• Please reiterate to the customer apologies for being unable to complete their appointment; however, precautions are being followed for their safety and for the safety of the engineers
• Ask your customer to rearrange their appointment when their self-isolation period ends

Update Autumn 2020 - KCOM’s Hull and regional services: 

Migration plans for voice (PSTN) and integrated voice and digital data (ISDN2 and 30) services from legacy circuit-switched systems (System X) to our next generation IP-based infrastructure

The extraordinary and ongoing disruption to activity experienced this year has caused us to reconsider our priorities for network development. One consequence of this relates to the migration programme from legacy switched voice services to IP infrastructure. ​

This migration programme has now been deferred until further notice and will not take place in this calendar year as previously advised. We shall provide CPs with a minimum six months’ notice when we have determined our revised programme.

The withdrawal timetable for the Hotline and Your Call voice products is unaffected; these will be withdrawn on 31 March 2021 in line with the appended notices. ​

If you have any questions arising from this deferment please do not hesitate to contact us at wholesalepartners@kcom.com

KCOM wholesale End of Life Notice September 2020 - Hotlines.pdf

KCOM wholesale End of Life Notice September 2020 - Your Call.pdf

Reintroduction of data caps on broadband services in the Hull Area

In March 2020, as COVID-19 emerged, we temporarily removed all the data caps on our usage-based broadband packages.

As restrictions ease, these data caps will be re-introduced on usage-based broadband packages from 1 October 2020.

From that date over-usage charges will be applied where usage exceeds the published product data limits. Services can be upgraded to unlimited download products before 1 October using the normal process.

KCOM’s Hull and regional services: 

Migration plans for voice (PSTN) and integrated voice and digital data (ISDN2 and 30) services from legacy circuit-switched systems (System X) to our next generation IP-based infrastructure.

Following the completion of our £85m investment in rolling out our fibre access network in Hull and East Yorkshire we are making the next step in transforming the legacy technology we use to deliver services in the region.

We intend to begin PSTN and ISDN migrations from October 2020. We are undertaking this in phases on an exchange-by-exchange basis with an initial trial exchange informing our approach to subsequent migrations. The first of our exchanges to be upgraded will be Beverley.

Introducing next generation IP-based systems infrastructure provides you with access to secure, resilient, and innovative new voice services. At the same time, you will still be able to offer the current form of voice services that you do at present. Our approach to migration will also provide transitional support for legacy data applications that use ISDN.  

While for most end customers the change in technology will be invisible, with very few differences in retail service functionality, there will be some important minor differences in voice functionality. The upgrade to IP-based systems infrastructure may affect third party equipment (e.g. alarm, care alarms, terminal equipment) used in both residential and business applications. It is therefore important that you communicate these changes to your customers. To help you support your end customers during the transition, we have created a Digital Test Facility (DTF) that can be used by third parties to assess the performance of their equipment on our network. Please contact us by email at TSOFrontDoor@kcom.com to find out more about how our DTF can be accessed.

All Communications Providers that provide services over our network are being sent notices about this migration. This will allow our wholesale customers time to contact their end customers to inform them about the changes that are taking place, so they know what to expect. It will also allow your end customers to act early so that they can prepare for any potential impacts. While our risk management of the migration ensures that we have emergency roll-back facilities in place these measures should not be used as a basis for ongoing support for legacy services. Your contact with your end customers about the migration is therefore important.

We’ll contact you well in advance of moving your services to the new network to update expectations for individual service move dates and any associated downtime.

A guide to the switchover process is available here

KCOM Coronavirus/COVID-19 update - 1 April 2020

Update on prioritising our operations during the Coronavirus outbreak

Further to our previous update on operations during the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak our work will now be prioritised to focus first on critical work supporting essential services and at-risk customers.

All work will be carried out in accordance with Government guidelines on social distancing. We are also employing additional safe working practices and revised processes to further reduce social interaction wherever possible as safeguards for our engineers and customers, including:

• Asking when appointments are made if anyone at the premises has relevant symptoms or is self-isolating; confirming this again the day prior to the scheduled visit and carrying out a final check on arrival
• Social distancing
• Use of appropriate PPE

Provisioning work will be prioritised as below to focus on the most critical work:

1. All work for providers of critical national infrastructure (NHS, pharmacies, utilities, emergency (999) services, retail and wholesale food distribution outlets, financial services businesses and other categories defined by the Government)
2. In-home service to vulnerable end customers
3. In-home service to end customers who have no other form of broadband or telephony available
4. Self-install activities (i.e. where there is no engineering visit to the end customer premises) with despatch of routers direct to end customers
5. Other provisioning involving a visit and in-home/on-premises work

Repair work will continue to focus on restoring services but will be prioritised as below:

• Any reduced appointment profile will observe the same prioritisation as provisioning until further notice
• All appointed inflight orders will be completed where feasible
• Appointed and non-appointed orders will be completed outside customer premises where feasible e.g. transfers
• Repair diaries will remain open – non-urgent repair is subject to ongoing review

Engineers will continue to enter end customer premises but will enable/restore service wherever possible from outside the premises.

Assistance is requested in the identification of providers of Critical Network Infrastructure and vulnerable end customers in order to prioritise these.

Our priority is to ensure that end customers remain connected.

Please contact your account team if you have any questions.

KCOM removes all data caps during Covid-19 outbreak

Further to our previous announcement, from 1 April, KCOM will temporarily waive charges for any over-usage on our usage based packages, including any gaming and live streaming. Over-usage will not incur charges until further notice – we will give you advance notice of data caps being restored.   

“We hope removing data caps completely will assist all our customers during these very difficult circumstances.”

Urgency to provide 101 Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN) charges free to UK Citizens

KCOM has made calls to 101 SNEN free of charge from today. Please see attached notice from the home office.

Ends

Dear customer

We all know that Covid-19 (Coronavirus) is causing a lot of disruption and uncertainly in our daily lives right now.

For many it could mean having to work from home for a period of time.

That’s why we’re writing to let you know that from 19 March, the data your customers use on usage based products in the Hull Area, when carrying out typical online activities related to home working, won’t count towards the data usage limit that’s part of their broadband package. We’ll review this at the end of each month and let you know if our approach changes.

At KCOM we’re committed to our community and we’re doing as much as we can to help our customers get through this difficult time with as little disruption as possible.

This means that working from home activities such as making Skype calls or using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or online office software will not count towards your monthly data limit. Likewise, data used in general web browsing, email and most other online activities won’t be counted.

The only online activities that will still count towards your customers on usage based packages monthly limit are gaming, media streaming and media downloading, such as playing on an X-Box, streaming shows on Netflix or downloading shows from iPlayer. While this approach is in place you will only be billed for over usage that falls into one of these categories.

Regards

The KCOM Wholesale Team

KCOM removes data caps to help homeworkers during Covid-19 outbreak

KCOM has announced it is to remove broadband data caps for those working from home during the Coronavirus emergency.

From 19 March, the Hull-based internet provider will not count data usage for home working activities such as video calls and the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and online office software packages to help people who are working from home. KCOM will review this at the end of each month and notify customers of any changes in its approach.

The move is to reassure customers who may be worried that being online more due to working from home will push them over their monthly data limit.

A spokesman for KCOM said: “At KCOM we’re committed to supporting our community and doing as much as we can to help our customers get through this difficult time with as little disruption as possible.

“This means typical working from home activities such as connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), making a Skype video call or using office software that’s hosted online or in the cloud will not count towards your monthly data limit. We’ll review this at the end of each month and let customers know of any changes.

“We hope removing this extra reason for worry will mean businesses and employees across our Hull and East Yorkshire region can continue to work normally as far as is possible under very difficult circumstances.”

Gaming and live streaming or downloading media, such as playing on an X-Box, streaming a show on Netflix or downloading a show on iPlayer, will still count towards customers’ monthly data limits as normal. While the measures are in place customers with broadband packages that have usage caps will only be billed for over usage that falls into one of these categories.

Ends

KCOM Coronavirus/COVID-19 update - 19 March 2020

Update on our planning for the Coronavirus outbreak  

In the light of UK Government guidelines on operation during the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak we advise the following plans to ensure the safety of everyone.

1. KCOM buildings
   KCOM remains open – our office sites remain open and our engineers are expected to continue to work (unless self-isolating) with appropriate risk mitigation. However, we are encouraging our people to work from home where possible and, for those in office environments, to maintain social distancing. 

Please note that access to our exchange buildings, for authorised customers’ engineers or contractors, will continue as normal but additional safety or hygiene measures may apply.  

2. Travel

KCOM will be minimising any unnecessary travel.

3. Face to face events

We are postponing scheduled face to face events or converting them into calls or web-based sessions.

4. Business continuity

We are splitting some key teams to work in separate locations to reduce risks for the whole. For customers we are taking steps to loosen cap limits on capped broadband services in the Hull Area [see separate advice] and adding additional peering capacity to our networks to reflect the greater volume of home working that is taking place.

5. Engineering visits

We are requesting our engineers to

• Ask customers upon arriving at a customer’s home or business whether there are any individuals present either with symptoms or who are self-isolating; if this is the case, the engineer will be unable to proceed [separate considerations apply where a customer is Vulnerable (see below)]
• Use protective equipment such as gloves and in some cases face masks

To assist us in minimising risks to all parties we request that, when booking an appointment for a customer, please advise and ask:

• Government health advice relating to coronavirus is that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus infection should be self-isolating to protect others
• The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a new continuous cough or a high temperature
• Are you self-isolating, or do you have either of these symptoms?

If the customer answers

• No – please book the appointment as normal but advise the customer that if their circumstances change, they must let you know. Please advise us of the change in situation.
• Yes – please advise the customer that unfortunately, their appointment will need to be rearranged until after their isolation period. Ask them when this is and book the appointment accordingly. Alternatively, the customer can call back to rearrange at a more convenient time

If you receive a call from a customer that has been asked by an engineer to rearrange their appointment

• Please reiterate to the customer apologies for being unable to complete their appointment; however, precautions are being followed for their safety and for the safety of the engineers
• Ask your customer to rearrange their appointment when their self-isolation period ends

6. Vulnerable customers

If your customer is vulnerable please advise the customer that an engineer will attend to provide their service; however, please ask that the person(s) in the home that is/are self-isolating is/are not in the same room as the engineer when the install takes place. The engineer will also take additional precautions with protective equipment and of course ensure hand washing is completed before and after.

7. Next level contingency planning

We are working with our internal teams to plan for potential reductions in resources available and changes in demand, as cases of COVID-19 and self-isolation increase, as well as planned school shutdowns. Responses could include (but are not limited to): removing availability of non-urgent service work; extending our lead-times for provision of service or delaying “in-flight” provision orders. We will ensure we focus on the most urgent cases and vulnerable end customers. 

As we progress our plans, we ask CPs to consider reducing low-priority work to help us jointly provide the best service possible in an increasingly challenging environment.

8. Command structure

Our operational response continues to be overseen at the highest level within KCOM and we’ve appointed a dedicated programme team who are working closely with our key contractors, partners and suppliers to assess their business continuity plans and to make sure they have adequate procedures in place to maintain service and delivery. We are meeting daily to review and refresh our approach as the situation develops.

We are committed to maintaining all of our services and, as the position changes, will continue to update you on our plans for dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please contact your account team.

Regards

KCOM Group Limited