Dutch broadband market leader Ziggo lost customers for a fourth consecutive quarter in Q2 2021. KPN grew through the acquisition of smaller rival Oxxio, meaning T-Mobile was the only ISP in the top three to add broadband customers on an organic basis in the period, according to figures compiled by Telecompaper. The figures show an increasingly saturated market, with little room remaining for growth.
Ziggo lost 6,500 broadband subscribers in the three months, less than in Q1 but a reversal of the growth of 6,000 customers in Q2 2020. Quarterly growth in the business segment was not enough to offset consumer losses, leaving the company with a total of almost 3.35 million broadband subscribers at the end of June.
KPN remains second in the market with 3.14 million broadband subscribers, narrowing the gap with Ziggo after the incumbent added 12,000 new customers in Q2. The growth was entirely due to the takeover of Oxxio, which added 22,000 broadband customers, offsetting an organic decline of 10,000 subscribers at KPN.
T-Mobile adds most new customers
The same as in the mobile market, T-Mobile was the main winner in fixed broadband in Q2 2021, adding 15,000 new subscribers. The growth was slightly better than 12,000 new subscribers added in both Q1 2021 and Q2 2020. However, T-Mobile remains a distant third on the broadband market, with a total base of just 695,000 subscribers, less than 10 percent of the market.
"With almost 97 percent of households in the Netherlands already subscribed to broadband, there is not much room for growth left," said Kamiel Albrecht, Telecompaper senior research analyst for the fixed market. "It’s not surprising KPN is turning to acquisitions again to supplement growth. For Ziggo there is less opportunity for takeovers, as most other cable operators on the Dutch market are converting to fibre."
For a full analysis of the broadband market, see Telecompaper’s quarterly Dutch Broadband reports. This report includes detailed figures on customers and revenues by operator and market segments, as well as an overview of market trends and a five-year forecast. The next edition of the report for Q2 2021 will be published in early September; contact research@telecompaper.com for more details.
