Tele 2 to launch analogue cable offer

Tele 2 has become the first Dutch party to announce that it will start selling analogue cable to its customers from June 1st.

The alternative telecoms provider is planning a 4-play product consisting of analogue cable in addition to a regular bundle of telephony, broadband access and IPTV over its own network.

The company has already talked to both Ziggo and UPC and is now ready to roll-out its product following last week’s publication of the final pricing and rules concerning Open Cable access by regulator OPTA. (See report in Broadband TV News)

Tele 2 still needs to negotiate actual re-seller contracts with both cable operators, but given the frame of conditions and fixed pricing put forward by regulator OPTA, there should be little trouble signing actual agreements.

Other companies waiting to include analogue cable TV with their broadband and telephony tiers are Deutsche Telekom’s Online, the independent YourTV and YouCa. It is not yet clear if all newcomers will indeed start to offer analogue cable – some parties have argued the retail prices set by OPTA are too high to make a profitable business case.