Fibre’s growing share is coming mainly at the expense of DSL, which continues to lose subscribers and market share, the Telecompaper Dutch Broadband Q1 report shows. DSL providers lost in total 105,000 connections in the past year, and the number of FTTH subscribers increased by nearly the same number.
The shift to fibre is driven by the expansion of FTTH networks, especially in smaller towns and outlying areas, where DSL speeds tend to be low. Caiway has been leading the expansion with its unit Glasvezel Buitenaf and shows a small pick-up in its subscriber growth in the past two quarters as a result. In Q1, the operator already accounted for 10 percent of all FTTH broadband connections in the Netherlands.
Fibre growth to accelerate
Telecompaper expects the fibre growth to accelerate in the course of 2019, supporting an increase in the total number of broadband connections over the full year. Caiway’s sister company Delta already has 15,000 fibre customers signed up in pre-marketing campaigns and ready to activate once Glasvezel Buitenaf completes the networks later this year.
KPN has also started ramping up its FTTH roll-out, with expansions announced in recent months in several cities and pilots underway to replace DSL completely with fibre in six towns. The incumbent is hoping the greater focus on fibre will help offset the continued losses on the DSL market and return the group to growth on the broadband market.
Telecompaper expects that FTTH/B will overtake DSL on the Dutch broadband market in 2022-23 to become the second-largest technology after cable.
For a more detailed outlook on the market and all the latest KPIs, the Dutch Broadband Q1 report is available to purchase on the Telecompaper website. Contact research@telecompaper.com for more information or a customsied analysis.
