Dutch cable operator Ziggo will within the year launch within the year a range of mobile services, data from Opta indirectly revealed. The regulator assigned a block of 100,000 mobile numbers to Ziggo on 2 February. Numbers are only granted after a substantive review: the requesting party must show that it will use the numbers within one year. A spokesman for Ziggo declined to comment and said more information would come in time.
It is common knowledge that Ziggo is working on a mobile broadband services, presented as an important addition to its current offerings. Ziggo, together with UPC, last year bought 2x20 MHz of spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band. After the auction, Ziggo said it would examine what options and developments in the market it would follow. Through a MVNO structure or roaming agreement, the cable operator Ziggo will be able to quickly enter the market and build a network in the meantime, said CTO Paul Henderson in May to Telecompaper. These mobile services will at first be offered to its own customers, but will be able to be used nationwide. Ziggo has over 3 million households as active customers.
Ziggo now has 100,000 numbers beginning with 06 86-5. Opta gives mobile numbers in sequences of one hundred thousand or one million. Ziggo could also have requested a number of one hundred thousand blocks, but in that case, registration costs would have applied. A reservation remains valid for three years. Higher subsequent series are still available.
