MPs asked the government earlier this year to look at the allegedly high costs of mobile telecoms in the Netherlands. Among the numerous Dutch plans, there are subscriptions (much) more expensive than in other countries, but are there also some that are cheaper, the report concluded. Overall, the research raised a number of issues:
- Dutch Sim-only plans with a minimum tariff are relatively cheaper on an international comparison for offers up to 360 minutes and 1 GB of data a month;
- Most median tariffs for plans including a handset are higher than in other countries;
However, there are plans with phones at low-end tariffs that are relatively cheaper than in the other researched countries. This mainly applies to plans with 180-360 minutes and up 500 MB data.
Telecompaper's research covered around 2,600 plans from 43 mobile network operators and 12 low-cost brands in 11 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, the UK and Sweden).
A differentiated offering of subscriptions is a logical consequence of the market dynamic and customised solutions to meet consumer demand, according to Kamp. In the government's view, effective competition is needed to ensure the market delivers a good relationship between price and quality. Competition in the Netherlands is largely determined by the well-known network providers, their low-cost brands and other service providers. The planned entry of a fourth network operator after the spectrum auction last year will be an important stimulus to competition, according to the minister.
