Dutch operator KPN wants to roll fibre out in the coming years. The operator expects the number of housholds that can be connected to FTTH to rise to 1.1-1.3 million in 2012 from 460,000 at the end of the third quarter this year. The network will be rolled out by KPN's joint venture partner Reggefiber. KPN will in the next three years focus mainly on accelerating the market and delivering services. The operator is aiming for a total of 600,000-800,000 customers for its fibre services, or around one out every ten Dutch households. Other providers will also be able to use the fibre network to offer their services. KPN thinks it will be able to bring fibre to 30-60 percent of all Dutch households in the medium term.
The operator outlined its targets and plans while presenting its strategy for FTTH in the Netherlands. After conducting fibre pilots in ten cities, KPN believes FTTH is the long-term superior technology and has committed to a gradual, regional fibre roll-out. KPN will deploy a mix of infrastructures going forward with fibre, copper and wireless. As an intermediate step, KPN will upgrade its existing copper network with VDSL from the central office before mid-2010 (for 50 percent of Dutch households) and reach more households with its interactive television services (80 percent), including HD-TV (70 percent). KPN expects the upgrade to be completed by the summer. Regarding FTTC (fibre to the curb), KPN wants to first focus on providing services over existing connections before any further roll-out decision. FTTC has been laid out to around 450,000 homes.
With KPN’s combined approach of upgrading its copper network and rolling out fibre infrastructure, the operator expects to maintain its cash flow levels and remain within the group investment framework. The roll-out could go faster should more parties participate and invest in the lay-out. Meanwhile, the operator is also increasing the maximum download speed of its HSPA network to 14.4 Mbps, from 7.2Mbps. The network will initially be upgraded in busy areas such as Schiphol airport and large cities, reaching around 80 percent of the population within the next year. The upload speed will also be increased, to 2.0Mbps from 1.4Mbps. The operator said it expects that mobile networks, with their increasing bandwidths, will provide a good alternative to fixed networks, especially for rural areas, for example.
