Sunday, January 29, 2006

NL: Growth PC internet slows, digital television grows

Telecom.paper reported recently: “With over 76 percent of households already using internet, growth slowed to less than 75,000 net additions per quarter in the period, from over 100,000 additions per quarter in 2004.” It means that PC internet in the Netherlands is reaching its ceiling. For in a recent publication of the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics it was noted that 80 percent of the households now have internet and that 20 percent does not have internet nor have a need for it. So it looks that internet will slow down and stabilise. It will never be 100 percent connected households, but the number of internet connected households only grows slowly from now on.

A growth area for households is the digital television. A survey of New Television Insider estimates that 1.2 million households have digital television now in the Netherlands. Watching digital television by satellite is the most favourite now with 600.000 subscribers. Watching digital television by cable is the fastest growing segment. This is partly because UPC is handing out decoders for free; other cable companies offer the decoders by sale. In the third place is digital television by ether offered by Digitenne and KPN. Last, but very promising is the introduction of IPTV. Versatel and KPN are the most active companies in this area.

Satellite: 600.000 subs
Cable: 373.000 connections
- UPC 100.000 decoders (by the end of the years)
- Casema: 69.000 (by the end of the years)
- Essent Kabelcom: 125.000 (by the end of the years)
- CAIW: 61.000 (by the end of the years)
- Others: 18.000 (by the end of the years)
Ether: 170.000
IPTV: 43.000

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