ACM Telecom Monitor: mobile-data consumption more than doubled

The average data consumption per mobile connection has risen from almost 1 gigabyte per month in 2017 to over 2 gigabytes per month in the first half of 2018. This is one of the conclusions of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in its Telecom Monitor. In the first half of 2018, almost 250 billion MB of mobile data was consumed.

Maintaining competition in fixed telecom networks

The two telecom providers with their own fixed networks, KPN and VodafoneZiggo, still have, by far, the largest number of customers. Alternative providers without networks of their own, like T-Mobile and Tele2, have a relatively constant market share for fixed connections. ACM considers it very important that, in addition to KPN and VodafoneZiggo, alternative providers remain active on the broadband market. Henk Don, Member of the Board of ACM, explains: ‘ACM has ruled that both KPN and VodafoneZiggo must provide other providers access to their fixed networks. In this way, providers that do not have networks of their own will still be able to offer their services to consumers and companies. In this way, the consumer market will continue to have sufficient competition with more choice and competitive prices.’

Fixed and mobile services are bundled more and more

More and more consumers take out bundles that combine mobile plans with fixed services. Providers offer several extras in order to seduce consumers to take out these bundles. The number of bundles that only consist of the traditional fixed services broadband, fixed telephony and/or television is falling.

Transition from analog to digital

With regard to these fixed services, a transition from analog to digital can be observed. For example, the number of analog telephone connections like PSTN continues to decrease. In the first half of 2018, the number of telephone calls over the internet (Voice over Broadband) was nearly as much as in the entire previous year. The number of analog television connections continues to decrease as well, but the number of digital television connections is slightly increasing.

About the Telecom Monitor

Every six months, ACM publishes the market figures for the telecommunication sector in its Telecom Monitor. Based on data from the most important market participants in the telecom industry, the Telecom Monitor gives an overview of the trends in mobile services, fixed telephony, broadband, television, business network services, and bundles.

ACM plans to publish the Telecom Monitor with the annual figures for 2018 at the end of Q1.