The Dutch broadband market grew by around 55,000 connections or 0.9% during the second quarter of 2012, to a total 6.49 million lines, according to Telecompaper.
A 1% quarterly decrease in DSL connections to 3.2 million was offset by 1.3% growth in cable broadband connections during the quarter, to 2.9 million. Growth in FTTH/B connections also accelerated to over 13% during Q2, giving the technology a 6.2% share of all lines.
KPN, including its XS4All and Telfort brands, was still the largest broadband provider in the Netherlands with a 39% market share at the end of June, after losing 1.9 percentage points over the previous 12 months. Ziggo was runner-up with 26.5% of all customers, and UPC came third with 15.5%.
The market researcher expects the overall broadband market to grow 3.0% in 2012, with cable and fibre offsetting the continued decline in DSL. Fibre is expected to grow more than 50%, and cable growth should reach 6-7%.
Growth in 2012 will be driven by more operators offering triple-play packages via multiple networks. The market will also see an increased marketing focus on providing broadband plus video packages, including broadcast and OTT video services.
