Azzurri takes broadband service to Hull

Kingston Communications had better watch out as VAR unveils plans to expand to Yorkshire city

VAR Azzurri has issued a battle cry to rival Kingston Communications as it unveils plans to expand to Hull, previously a monopolistic stronghold for Kingston.

Azzurri’s new service – Azzurri Broadband – will provide wireless internet access to the city of Hull, allowing local businesses to adopt technologies such as voice over IP.

Customer relationships will be managed from Azzurri’s engineering office in Hull, and will include client account management.

Previously, Hull-based Kingston, which has the local council as a major shareholder, dominated the communications market in its home region.

Gerard Toplass, business development director at Azzurri, said: “We work more in convergence and integration than our competition. Our customers will benefit from this model. We have seen demand from our business customers who want a different service.”

Toplass added that Azzurri is providing more competition and options in Hull, which has very little competition in its current state.

“We are offering something that is different,” Toplass said. “We have the skills and relationships and wanted to use these to offer value-add services to businesses.”

Kingston said in a statement to CRN: “As the leading provider of broadband services in the region [Hull], we welcome the competition.”

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