In an interview with Telecompaper, T-Mobile Netherlands CEO Soren Abildgaard said the company was pleased with the strategy started a year ago, which targets the top position in the premium mobile market. T-Mobile aims to achieve this on the basis of its network quality, as well as branding, marketing and PR. The product portfolio also plays a role, with the new services Datavrije Muziek (zero-rated data for music streaming) and Go Unlimited (unlimited data plans).
Tele2
T-Mobile said it has not had any bother from the emergence on a "copy-cat". This is clearly is a reference to Tele2, which also introduced unlimited plans recently. T-Mobile said it's scoring well in Telecompaper's 'Word of Mouth' rankings and is well ahead of Tele2. T-Mobile's also offering a better customer experience, based on its network, customer service and shops, the CEO said.
On the business market, T-Mobile said it's also winning "thousands of customers per quarter". Following sister company T-Mobile US, the CEO of which John Legere likes to call out rivals, T-Mobile Netherlands CEO Soren Abildgaard said: "This is a market heavily dominated by decadent duopolists KPN and VodaZiggo".
Fixed
On the fixed-line market, T-Mobile said it added 27,000 new customers in the first half of the year. This means a net gain of 8,000 in Q2, for a total base of 184,000 at the end of June. Asked about KPN's recent acquisition of the small ISP Solcon, Abildgaard declined to comment. T-Mobile wants to first integrate the fixed activities acquired from Vodafone at the end of last year and "do things right", before thinking about further acquisitions.
The CEO said he's also concerned about KPN's wholesale rates on the fixed market. These are making it difficult to compete against some providers like Telfort, which T-Mobile claims is offering retail rates approximating a price squeeze.
