The Dutch mobile services market fell in the first quarter to EUR 1.17 billion in revenues, down 4 percent from the year before, according to Telecompaper’s latest Dutch Mobile Operators report. Compared to the fourth quarter, revenues fell 5.5 percent. Only Vodafone Netherlands was able to achieve growth in sales and market share.
But although the market for mobile services is still shrinking, the decline is slowing. In Q1 2014, the decrease amounted to 10.7 percent from the year before. The impact of regulation on Q1 of this year was less and data services generated more revenue growth.
Revenues from voice services fell in Q1 of this year by 9.7 percent from the year earlier. Although revenue from data services grew, they were not able to completely offset the double-digit fall of revenues from SMS services, with total non-voice revenue rising only 3 percent. The market share of non-voice among total mobile services lifted to 48 percent.
Vodafone bucks the trend
Of the three mobile operators (MNOs) on the Dutch market, Vodafone NL managed to grow its market share by 2.3 percent year-on-year by increasing its share of post-paid customers. T-Mobile Netherlands lost most revenues, both on an annual and quarterly basis, and saw its market share decline by 2.3 percentage points from the year before. KPN’s revenue share was stable at around 41 percent of the market.
Based on the current figures and the latest market developments, Telecompaper expects the Dutch market for mobile services to fall 5 percent throughout 2015 to EUR 4.7 billion.
20.6 mln mobile Sim cards
Looking at the three MNOs, Ziggo, Tele2 Netherlands and other MVNOs, the number of mobile Sim cards reached 20.6 million at the end of the quarter, a slight increase of 1 percent from the year before. Growth was mainly due to the increasing number of post-paid customers, especially for Vodafone NL and KPN. Mobile penetration increased slightly to 121.9 percent.
