Broadband firms urged to speed up their infrastructure sharing

Broadband operators are being urged to speed up infrastructure sharing amid a backlash over the number of telegraph poles being put up.

It comes as residents in parts of Hull and East Yorkshire campaign about the poles being put up near their homes.

Emma Hardy, the MP for Hull West and Haltemprice, has met telecoms minister Chris Bryant to discuss the issue.

Bryant said “unnecessary telegraph poles” were not considerate to “anyone’s way of life”.

Hardy, who met Bryant on Tuesday, told the BBC it had been “a really positive meeting”, and there was agreement to encourage companies to start sharing infrastructure.

Trials are taking place between KCOM and Connexin and between KCOM and MS3 involving shared telecommunications infrastructure.

But Hardy said that while some progress was being made, it was “not as fast as I would like to see to stop more poles going up in the community”.

She added: “This is something that everyone in the area has been calling for from day one.”

Bryant said Hardy had “highlighted the urgent need for consideration and community discussion when it comes to building new infrastructure”, and added: “I continue to urge telecoms companies to do everything they can to share pre-existing infrastructure before building new poles.”

A spokesperson for KCOM said: “Good progress has been made with MS3 and Connexin and preparations are well under way to launch a long-term solution in the coming months.”

Guy Miller, chief executive of MS3, said he welcomed the intervention from MPs “to keep pressure on all parties to deliver this”.

Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, said the firms were working together as part of an initial trial.

“While we can’t force companies to use these existing ducts and poles, we expect to see this development continue and we’ll maintain our engagement with the firms involved to encourage further progress,” a spokesperson said.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.