Most rural areas in the Netherlands are now equipped with fibre, regulator ACM said, adding that rollout has been slower for urban areas. The regulator started an investigation into the deployment of fibre in the spring, following signs of problems around rollout in urban areas. The results of that investigation will be published in the autumn. Action will then be taken, if necessary.
Annemarie Sipkes, ACM’s director for telecom, transport and post, gave an viewn during Metro Connect Europe of the Dutch fibre optic market. She said that relatively little fibre has been deployed in the country over the past few years. Interest in rollout went on the up recently, mainly due to a greater willingness from investors to make capital available for rollout. As a result, several parties have entered the market. The ACM sees added value in the deployment of fibre networks, in addition to existing copper and cable networks, because they stimulate innovation and will help meet the increasing demand for bandwidth in the longer term.
External vs urban areas
Most rural areas in the Netherlands have now been fitted with fibre, the regulator said. The market has worked well here, but: "the playing field is now shifting more towards urban areas. In urban areas, rollout seems to be proceeding less rapidly than planned," the regulator said. The ACM added it has received signs about problems here. "If these signals are justified, there is a chance that infrastructure investors, who in particular have pushed fibre rollout in the Netherlands in recent years, will not continue investing in the future."
Market study
The ACM wants to gain more insight into how telecom companies and investors determine where they roll out fibre, and the problems they encounter. It has therefore started an exploratory study into the deployment of fibre in the Netherlands, holding talks with telecom companies, investors and municipalities. The results of the market study and any resulting recommendations will be published in the fall.