Alexandra Borgeaud
Research expert covering cybersecurity and tech in Latin America
Telecoms in the Netherlands - statistics & facts
The Dutch telecoms industry is among the world's most advanced. As in many developed markets, a key focus in recent years has been the deployment of next generation networks, be it 5G mobile networks or fiber optic broadband. The Netherlands performs well in key global connectivity indicators, and its telecoms market is characterized by fierce competition across each of the mobile, fixed telephony, and broadband sectors.
Mobile data use shows no signs of slowing
Fixed telephone use is on the decline, both globally and in the Netherlands, with around 1.2 million fixed line call minutes reported in the fourth quarter of 2023. Mobile calling minutes have remained stable at around 10 billion minutes over the same period. This has been met with an increase in the use of mobile internet, with 540 million gigabytes of data used in the fourth quarter of 2023 alone. These shifts in mobile phone use have spurred many consumers to rethink their subscription plans. In the third quarter of 2022, there were 981,000 data only SIM cards in the Netherlands, up from 919,000 during the same period in 2022. The availability of internet messaging and calling apps has increased the viability of such plans for many users.Fiber drives download speeds
A key feature of the Dutch broadband sector in recent years has been the deployment of fiber optic networks. In the third quarter of 2022, there were 2.19 million Dutch households with a fiber internet subscription, up over 20 percent on the previous year. The uptake of fiber internet packages has helped drive improved download speeds, with the share of subscriptions providing speeds of under 30 Mbps falling to 4.2 percent in the third quarter of 2022. Despite this, there has been little reduction in the number of households with broadband delivered by copper phone lines (DSL), with over 2 million households using a DSL connection as of the third quarter of 2022.MVNOs carve out a share
Three key players dominate the Dutch telecoms industry: VodafoneZiggo, KPN, and Odido – formerly T-Mobile Netherlands. As a former government owned service, KPN holds the upper hand in the fixed telephone market with a share of around 62.5 percent by number of call minutes, while VodafoneZiggo is the largest broadband player, with a market share of around 42.5 percent. Odido leads the mobile market, with a share of around 47.5 percent when measured by consumed minutes, followed by KPN, VodafoneZiggo, and various mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). MVNOs purchase capacity from network operators and then resell this to retail customers under their own company branding. The three telecoms leaders will have to continue to harness technological developments and offer innovative services to feed a population that wants to stay increasingly connected, and to stay ahead of the game in the Dutch mobile communications market.
