Dutch broadband market reaches 6.54 mln connections in Q3

The Dutch broadband market grew by 0.8 percent or 51,100 net additions during the third quarter, reaching a total of 6.54 million connections at end September, according to Telecompaper’s Dutch Broadband Q3 2012 report. The 0.5 percent quarterly decrease in DSL connections to 3.17 million was offset by a 0.7 percent growth in cable broadband connections to 2.93 million. The number of FTTH/B connections also grew by more than 11 percent, giving the technology a 6.8 percent market share. 

KPN, including its XS4ALL and Telfort brands, was still the largest broadband provider in the Netherlands with a 38.9 percent share of subscribers, after losing 1.3 percentage points over the previous 12 months. Ziggo was number two with a market share of 26.5 percent, and UPC came third with 15.5 percent. 

Telecompaper expects the broadband market in 2012 to grow 3.1 percent, with cable and fibre offsetting the continued decrease in DSL. Fibre is seen up more than 30 percent, and with cable lifting 5-6 percent. 

Growth this year will be driven by more operators offering triple-play packages via multiple networks, headed by KPN and its brands, Vodafone Netherlands and most recently Tele2 Netherlands launching triple-play services via FTTH. The market will also see an increased marketing focus on providing broadband plus video packages, including broadcast TV as well as OTT video services.