The financial advisory firm, PJT Partners, is set to conduct a comprehensive strategic review of the UK telecoms company, KCOM. This development, initiated by the bank, could potentially lead to either a sale or a merger of KCOM.
In a previous transaction from August 2019, Macquarie Group acquired KCOM, with a cash offer of £627 million, following which the telecom operator was delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
Further speculation has emerged, with reports from The Telegraph suggesting that CityFibre and Virgin Media O2 could be among possible contenders interested in acquiring the Yorkshire-based operator. However, it should be noted that a firm decision is yet to be made. An observation from the ever-consolidating telecoms market indicates that the sale price might be considerably lower than what Macquarie originally paid for KCOM.
Unique to any other UK city, Hull, where KCOM was founded in 1904 as Hull Telephone Department, operates independently from BT’s Openreach network. Originally, Hull was among a handful of local authorities allowed to operate their own telephone network, which was possible due to a licensed grant. These local networks eventually became part of the Post Office Telephone department, which later transformed into BT. Hull rejected such absorption thereby, even today, the city along with its surrounding villages flaunt cream-colored phone boxes, unlike the traditional red.
However, KCOM has often faced criticisms for operating as a monopoly. Despite Ofcom’s legal requirement for KCOM to let other companies use its infrastructure, the associated costs of new competitors installing their own equipment and employing engineers in KCOM’s exchanges have been prohibitive. As a result, market newcomers like MS3 and Connexin are striving to create their own infrastructures. Unsurprisingly, such actions have sparked dissent among local residents, who oppose additional construction, thereby fanning the flames of an ongoing political issue.
