Boston, MA -- (SBWire) -- 06/15/2013 --The Netherlands telecoms market is one of the most developed in Europe with high penetration of mobile, fixed-line and broadband services. It is also home to subsidiaries of large international telecoms groups such as Vodafone, T-Mobile and UPC, which compete against the domestic incumbent KPN and recently turned public cable operator Ziggo. Competition has helped drive down prices and promote service innovation, with the Netherlands boasting high penetration of high-capacity broadband as well as mobile value-added services. However, the sector is not immune from external factors as consumer IP substitution, cuts to termination rates and a macroeconomic crisis have squeezed revenues in recent years.
View Full Report Details and Table of Contents
Key Data:
- The regulator reported a q-o-q decline in dedicated mobile broadband subscriptions in Q312. This could be a single quarterly loss, or reflect a turn in the market as has occurred in Southern Europe.
- In contrast, overall 3G subscriptions continued to exhibit strong growth, with the total increasing 24.2% y-o-y to 9.008mn at the end of September 2012 according to OPTA data. BMI believes this rapid growth is driven by the increasing availability of lower cost mid-range smartphones - supplementing demand for high-end handsets - a factor that will have had a positive impact in the final quarter of 2012.
- SMS IP substitution has continued to hit operators. KPN reported a 42.6% y-o-y decline to an average of 27 SMS per subscriber per month in Q412, while the latest regulatory data show a 28.8% y-o-y volume decline to Q312.
Key Trends And Developments
The first quarter of 2013 saw the launch of LTE services by mobile market leader KPN. The service was launched in The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam, with the rest of the Netherlands to follow throughout 2013. By the middle of 2013 KPN plans to reach 50% population coverage, and then expand to nationwide coverage by the middle of 2014. Meanwhile, T-Mobile announced plans to launch services in August 2013 and is aiming for nationwide coverage by the end of 2014. Both operators are making the service availability for smartphones and tablets, as well as for dedicated subscriptions such as dongles and hotspots. The launch of LTE offers operators an opportunity to grow data revenues and compensate for price pressures in the 2G and 3G market.
Recent months have also seen developments in wireline services. In March 2013 cable market leader Ziggo announced it was launching a cloud-based interactive digital TV service, giving it the opportunity to address a significantly broader audience, including those consumers currently unable to afford high-end TV sets and signal decoders. As new statistics show that IPTV and fibre-based TV subscriber additions are now outpacing growth in the 'traditional' cable TV market, this is a timely move by Ziggo.
About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff will help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.
Browse all Fixed Networks research reports at Fast Market Research
You may also be interested in these related reports:
- Singapore Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- Vietnam Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- Poland Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- West & Central Africa Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- France Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- Colombia Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- Ukraine Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- Bangladesh Telecommunications Report Q3 2013
- India Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
- Taiwan Telecommunications Report Q2 2013
Market Report, "Netherlands Telecommunications Report Q2 2013", Published
New Fixed Networks market report from Business Monitor International: "Netherlands Telecommunications Report Q2 2013"