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Netherlands - Telecoms, IP Networks, Digital Media and Forecasts
Paul Budde Communication Pty Ltd, Dec 2011, Pages: 124
PUBLICATION OVERVIEW
This report (10th Edition) provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in the Dutch telecommunications market. The report analyses the mobile, Internet, broadband, digital TV and converging media sectors.
Subjects include:
- Market and industry analyses, trends and developments;
- Facts, figures and statistics;
- Industry and regulatory issues;
- Infrastructure;
- Major players, revenues, subscribers, ARPU, MoU;
- Internet, VoIP, IPTV;
- Mobile voice and data markets;
- Broadband (FttH, DSL, cable TV, wireless);
- Convergence and digital media;
- 3G subscriber and mobile ARPU forecasts to 2015;
- Broadband market forecasts for selective years to 2020.
Key developments:
- Triple-play in a third of households;
- KPN signs distribution deal with BBC Worldwide;
- UPC and Ziggo no longer required to open cable networks to competitors;
- Vodafone to launch triple play offer on Reggefiber’s network;
- T-Mobile launches quad-play offer;
- KPN DSL base falls in 2011;
- KPN to upgrade its FttH to 1Gb/s and cover 20% of households by end-2013;
- smaller cablecos by-passing DOCSIS3.0 for FttH; KPN buys out Reggefiber;
- Regulator rules that UPC Netherlands and Ziggo no longer have to open up networks to rivals;
- KPN reveals strategy to 2015;
- KPN job losses of 5,000 by 2015;
- UPC launches mobile internet services for SMEs;
- new regulator from 2013 merges three entities;
- Ziggo obliged to launch mobile services by 2012, becoming a quad player;
- Dutch Parliament votes in favour of mobile and fixed internet network neutrality;
- KPN, T-Mobile and Vodafone join with banks to launch m-payments system in 2012;
- UPC launches mobile data services; Ziggo prepares mobile services launch;
- calls via mobile phones supersede fixed line calls for the first time;
- KPN ends its mobile TV service to reuse spectrum for Digitenne DTT platform;
- T-Mobile Netherlands deploys HSPA+ offering 21Mb/s;
- regulator market data to June 2011;
- operator data to September 2011.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Cablecos’ Mobile Services Adding to Bundled Services Mix
BuddeComm’s quarterly publication, Netherlands - Telecoms, IP Networks and Digital Media, provides a comprehensive overview of the trends and developments in the telecommunications and digital media sectors in this leading market, including regulator data to mid-2011 and operator data to September 2011.
The Dutch telecom market has one of the most developed infrastructures in Europe, providing a solid foundation for the country’s IP-services offerings. Almost 90% of the population uses the internet, while the high broadband take-up has benefited from government support and competing cable, fibre and DSL platforms. FttH networks have become also a significant feature of the country’s broadband landscape, with an effective collaboration between national, regional and municipal governments working with the industry and with academic institutions to ensure that the Netherlands maintains its broadband lead into the fibre age.
The strong broadband infrastructure has provided a range of content and digital products, including bundled offers. There are at least a dozen operators offering a double-play package (fixed-voice telephony and broadband), while several others offer TV and broadband and full triple play services (TV, broadband and fixed voice) to more than a million subscribers. In late 2011 T-Mobile launched a quad-play offer, utilising the digital TV service from KPN’s Digitenne.
Mobile penetration is approaching 130%. The sector’s growth since 2006 has largely been due to strong competition among the network operators and the range of MVNOs which has kept consumer prices low. The recent market entry of the cablecos Ziggo and UPC Nederland has created additional competitive pressure – both operators were awarded spectrum in the 2.6GHz band, allowing them to complement their existing bundled services (based on fixed-line access) with mobile voice and broadband offers.
The DTTV sector has shown strong growth since ASO at the end of 2006. By the end of 2011 more than six million households watched digital TV, or 75% of all TV households. Most digital viewers (almost 60%) subscribe to cable, while 24% watch digital DTH and 25% DTTV.
A bill to make the Authority for Consumers and Markets responsible for telecoms regulation from the beginning of 2013 may revitalise regulatory matters, with a greater focus on consumer protection. The ACM will be the merged authority incorporating OPTA, the Consumer Authority and the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa).
Key Highlights:
The excellent cross-platform infrastructure in the Netherlands has helped to propel the country to the top of international league tables for broadband penetration. KPN’s DSL network reaches 99% of all homes while cable networks reach 95%. The DSL sector, which commands about 54% of broadband connections, is set to fall in coming years as the numerous municipal fibre networks increase their geographic reach and lead to increased customer churn to FttH alternatives.
Fibre infrastructure is a stimulus for the country’s budding trans-sector developments, serving as a model for similar strategies in other European countries. The regulator was among the first in the world to institute an effective wholesale regime, guaranteeing other telcos with non-discriminatory access to the incumbent’s network at fixed rates.
Mobile data revenue ha shown steady growth, though not proportionate to the far higher growth in data transmitted on mobile networks. This data traffic is straining existing networks, largely through the uptake of smartphones and applications, with the result that operators have substituted flat-rate schemes for usage-based tariffs. The recent spectrum auctions will alleviate network congestion in coming years and facilitate the development of services based on LTE.
Mobile TV is dominated by Mobiele TV Nederland, launched by MTVNL to compete with KPN’s Mobiel TV service: KPN ended its service in 2011 following poor subscriber uptake, and to reusing the freed up capacity to improve its Digitenne DTT platform.
In the cable TV sector the regulator has reversed its Open Cable ruling which had obliged UPC and Ziggo to open their networks to competitors. This recognised recent market developments, competition, consumer use of bundled fixed telephony, internet access and TV, and the digitisation of services such as interactive TV, HDTV and VoIP.
Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year.
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