KPN and Open Dutch Fiber partner to reduce multiple digs in the city
The Municipality of Amsterdam has signed a “Fibre to the Home” covenant with KPN and independent open-access fibre provider Open Dutch Fiber (ODF) to accelerate fibre installations in the city.
While fibre installs have been underway since 2019 the covenant will adopt a new approach to maximise operator choice and install everything in one go so streets are only opened up once rather than for each provider.
The partners says the rollout is in full swing in Amsterdam’s Zuidoost and Nieuw-West districts. Work in other parts of the city will start in 2024. The covenant also provides for the joint, simultaneous installation of fibre in the Centrum district.
“This development means that fibre will be available throughout the city in the very near future, the nuisance created by installation work will be kept to a minimum and it will be easier for residents of Amsterdam to participate in the digital world,” said Alderman Alexander Scholtes (ICT & Digital City).
“[The agreement] shows our unwavering commitment to provide Dutch householders with reliable, high-speed connectivity in collaboration with other providers such as T-Mobile,” said ODF CEO Floris van den Broek. “We are accelerating, while at the same time causing as little nuisance as possible for the residents.”
“By the end of 2024, a large part of the Amsterdam addresses will be able to use the open network of Open Dutch Fiber,” he added.
KPN Netwerk director Joost Steltenpool added: “KPN is happy about the new approach and also the coordinating role that the Municipality of Amsterdam now has. It creates a basis for KPN’s accelerated replacement of the copper network with fibre throughout Amsterdam. This will benefit every household in Amsterdam, the economy, the healthcare and education sectors and society as a whole.”
Ahead of schedule
Launched in 2021, ODF, which offers broadband, TV and other services to consumers and businesses across the Netherlands passed 850,000 premises by the end of May – on its way to passing one million premises this year, keeping it well ahead of its business plan to have two million households connected by 2025.
Ther dark fibre player is majority owned by global investment firm KKR with digital infrastructure company DTCP as a minority investor. Retail service providers that offer services on its infrastructure include T-Mobile, Trined, Fiber.nl and Freedom Internet, often upgrading their customers from cable or xDSL networks.
Earlier this month ODF, whose main tenant is T-Mobile, signed new wholesale agreements with Fiber Operator, the Fiber Group and Weserve. The three operators serve multiple providers such as Freedom Internet, TriNed, SNLR.nl, Fiber.nl, Fiber Zakelijk, Quinnect, Teleplaza, Multifiber, ONVI, Stipte and RapidXS.
ODF also announced it was connecting 18,000 households in Heerlen-Noord with the first getting it from January 2024.