The Dutch telecom authority OPTA has officially notified the European Commission about its plan to open up cable networks in The Netherlands to third party distributors of analogue TV signals. If the Commission does not object, the new rules will become effective on March 17.
The new rulings will mainly affect the two largest operators in the country, Ziggo with 3.2 million connected homes and UPC with over 2.1 million homes. The cablers will have to facilitate third party analogue TV service providers over their networks.
All four major Dutch cable operators, which also include CAIW and Delta, oppose the new access rules claiming there is enough competition between infrastructures (IPTV, DTT and DTH).