In a first, less than 1 million users have traditional landlines
For the first time ever, the number of traditional, fixed-telephony connections in the Netherlands is less than one million.
This is one of the findings of the Telecom Monitor for the first quarter of 2016, which the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) published today.
We are currently seeing that consumers especially switch from calling over a traditional landline to calling over a broadband connection. Telecom providers often offer such phone connections to consumers at affordable rates in combination with broadband access.
Undiminished popularity of all-in-one packages
All-in-one packages continue to be much more popular than taking out separate plans. Such packages combine three or four services. These are often broadband access, television services, and home phone and mobile services. At the moment, 6.3 million Dutch households have an all-in-one packages from a telecom provider. In the first quarter of 2016, the number of packages with three services increased with 5 percent compared with the previous quarter. The number of packages with four services increased with even 11 percent in the first quarter of 2016. By now, 84 percent of fixed-telephony connections is part of a package.
Increasingly more 4G and less 3G
Surfing the web, watching movies, listening to music, gaming: consumption of mobile data among Dutch consumers keeps on growing with each quarter. This is increasingly done over 4G networks (64 percent), while data consumption over 3G networks decreases (36 percent). Since early-2015, total data consumption has increased with 67 percent: from 21 billion MB to 35 billion MB. Telecom providers KPN, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Tele2 (the four major operators in the Netherlands) have offered nationwide 4G coverage since 2015. The sizes of their 4G packages continue to grow. However, in the first quarter of 2016, data consumption over 3G networks decreased for the first time. Mr. Don adds: “The following quarters will reveal whether data consumption over 3G networks has indeed passed its peak.”
About the Telecom Monitor
Every quarter, ACM publishes the market figures for the telecommunication sector in its Telecom Monitor. Based on data from the most important players in the telecom industry, the Telecom Monitor gives an overview of the trends in mobile services, fixed telephony, broadband, television, business network services, and packages.