Original article Total Telecom:Read More
News
The board will now begin searching for a permanent replacement
Today, Hull’s incumbent telecoms operator KCOM has announced that its CEO, Tim Shaw, will be stepping down from the role in August.
Shaw has been part of KCOM for 6 and a half years, serving as CEO for the last three. During his tenure, the business has significantly expanded its fibre broadband network coverage across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, now topping 305,000 premises, as of November 2024. He has also overseen the company’s ongoing £17 million initiative to upgrade its existing copper network to full fibre.
But while KCOM’s network continues to expand and become more advanced, Shaw’s time as CEO has also seen KCOM’s market dominance increasingly come under threat. Local altnet like MS3 and Connexin are reducing KCOM’s dominance in Hull and the surrounding counties, while telecoms regulator Ofcom is pressuring KCOM to make its infrastructure more accessible to rivals. In fact, KCOM published a pricing scheme for its own Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) services for the first time earlier this month.
While these factors are unlikely to be disastrous for KCOM, they represent a market growing increasingly competitive. In fact, this increase in competition was a major factor in the decision from KCOM’s key investor Macquarie to explore a potential sale last year, according to reports. No further updates have been given regarding the strategic review, which appears to be ongoing.
All of this, in addition to mounting debt, will present a significant challenge for Shaw’s would-be replacement.
“Our huge thanks go to Tim. He has led KCOM through a period of significant change, both for the business and in the wider UK telco market. Throughout this, he has always kept the customer and service innovation at the heart of what we do,” said Richard Greenleaf, Chair of KCOM.
CFO Richard Schäfer will take over duties as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement.
How is the UK connectivity ecosystem changing in 2025? Join the discussion at Connected Britain, the UK’s largest digital economy event
Also in the news:
US judge rules Huawei must face charges of fraud and racketeering
Optus ditches football rights to focus on telecoms
Nokia launches digital twin platform Enscryb to digitalise energy sector