Broadband News

Mobile broadband sets Hull free

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Frustrated with the lack of choice, Hull’s broadband customers have been turning to mobile broadband in record numbers, according to the Carphone Warehouse (02-10-08).

The Carphone Warehouse store in Stephens Shopping Centre, Hull has seen the sale of mobile broadband dongles rise by as much as 200 per cent - more than four times the national average.

Mobile broadband has allowed customers in Hull to bypass KCOM - which has a near monopoly in the city - altogether.

Mobile broadband allows users to access the internet without a landline wherever they are, using the mobile phone network. Although usage limits are much lower than most home broadband connections, for Hull residents, where choice is extremely limited, it seems to have offered the perfect solution.

Michael Readings, Carphone Warehouse store manager, Hull, said: “We have seen mobile broadband sales go through the roof recently, showing that our customers and the residents of Hull want not only more choice in their broadband provider, but are also looking for better value.

“I am not that surprised, though,” he added. “Customers are always coming in and complaining they cannot access a lot of the broadband offers advertised in the Carphone Warehouse, such as TalkTalk (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) and Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com), as they are KC customers.”

In a recent survey by consumer watchdog Which? KCOM’s ISP Karoo (www.Karoo.co.uk) came bottom of the pile, and one local resident was reported by the Hull Daily Mail as being “extremely angry and frustrated with KCOM”.

“At the moment, we can sell more [dongles] in a day than mobile phones,” revealed Readings.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “The residents of Hull have suffered expensive, slow and outdated packages for years because of a lack of competition and although KCOM has endeavoured to improve services in the area - including revamping Karoo’s packages and lowering wholesale prices - this has had little impact on competition - and therefore choice.

“It’s great to see that the residents of Hull are using mobile broadband to break free from KCOM,” he concluded.

Related article - Hidden costs of mobile broadband.

Comments