Broadband plans with download speeds of 300 Mbps or higher are gaining ground

Broadband plans with download speeds of 300 Mbps or higher are gaining popularity. Almost a quarter of all connections have download speeds of 1 Gbps or higher. Mobile-data consumption is on the rise again: in the second quarter of 2026, consumption went up 4.7 percent compared with the previous quarter to 856 million GB. These are some of the conclusions of the Telecom Monitor of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) for the second quarter of 2026.

The shift to faster broadband plans, in itself, is not a new development. For the first time ever, the Telecom Monitor for the second quarter includes more-detailed data regarding download speeds. Four segments have been distinguished: download speeds of 30-100 Mbps, 100-300 Mbps, 300-1,000 Mbps, and 1 Gbps or higher. The data shows that 46 percent of all plans fall in the 100-300 Mbps category. Over 21 percent fall in the 300-1,000 Mbps category, and almost a quarter (24.9 percent) have plans with speeds of 1 Gbps or higher. The two latter categories have grown the most compared with the previous quarter.

This growth is striking, because relatively lower speeds are often more than enough, particularly for households. Previous ACM studies have revealed that, for many households, download speeds of 50-100 Mbps are already enough, but also that plans with higher download speeds are often taken out because of online speed recommendations and ‘upselling’. ACM advises consumers to always take a critical look at whether a fast broadband plan is actually necessary. Each year and also when their plans expire, customers must be given relevant information by their telecom operators so that they are able to make informed decisions regarding their broadband plans. ACM recently published its draft policy rules in which it clarifies this obligation.

Mobile market

After several months of stagnation, mobile-data consumption went up 4.7 percent in the second quarter to 856 million GB. This means that mobile-data consumption has now well surpassed the record of 829 million GB set in the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of sim cards for devices (smart or otherwise) went up to 22.1 million, which is a 3.8 percent increase.

Voice minutes continue to go down

The number of voice minutes continues to drop significantly. In the second quarter, callers spent 7.7 billion minutes on the phone, whereas that figure was still 7.9 billion minutes in the previous quarter. Fixed telephony also dropped substantially: from 0.86 billion voice minutes in the first quarter to 0.80 billion minutes in the second quarter. In line with this drop, the number of fixed- telephony connections (landlines), too, has gone down further. At the moment, there are still 3.63 million fixed connections.

Fiber-optic continues to grow

With the addition of the category ‘homes connected’, this quarter’s Telecom Monitor contains more detailed figures regarding the growth of networks. Connected homes can easily switch to fiber-optic-based services. The number of fiber-optic connections that are actually in use continues to grow, and now stands at 3.75 million. That is a 1.6 percent increase compared with the previous quarter. The number of connections that run up to the property line (‘homes passed’) continues to go up steadily, and now stands at 9.18 million (+1.4 percent). The number of connections up to the meter box (‘homes connected’) is now 6.69 million (+1.8 percent).

The overall picture is comparable to that in previous quarters: the share of fiber-optic goes up at the expense of copper (xDSL), while the number of cable-based connections remains stable.

About the monitor

Each quarter, ACM publishes the Telecom Monitor. It gives an overview of the trends and developments in the telecom sector. The largest market participants in the telecom industry regularly submit data about their activities to ACM for the Telecom Monitor. ACM checks this information and, in that way, keeps a close watch on the trends and developments on the different markets. The trends are presented in an interactive dashboard, with data from 2013 until today.