KPN unveils plans to fibre up Amsterdam

Dutch telco has announced plans to connect 320,000 homes in Amsterdam – one of the strongholds of rival service provider VodafoneZiggo – to its fibre network over the next few years.

The telecom operator has plans to start rolling out fibre-to-the-home networks in the the Amsterdam-Noord and Buitenveldert neighbourhoods in the first quarter of 2020.

KPN said that other areas would be fibred subsequently in a phased way and that the first homes could be connected to the new network by the middle of next year. 

KPN currently provides fibre to 90,000 homes in the Amsterdam area in the Oosterparkbuurt, IJburg, Indische Buurt, De Aker, Nieuw Sloten and Osdorp neighbourhoods. The telco’s fibre network across the whole of the Netherlands currently passes about two million homes, with plans to connect a further one million by the end of 2021. 

Amsterdam city councillor Touria Meliani, responsible for the city’s digital initiative, said: “It is important to me that Amsterdammers have access to the best, most accessible and safe internet there is in an affordable way. Participating starts with access, and the installation of fibre contributes to this. It was the wish of this [project] to start construction in Amsterdam Noord, so that the area can develop further as a digital leader for companies, consumers and residents.”

Willem Offerhaus, director of executive relations and strategic projects at KPN said: “We are proud to be able to roll out fibre in our capital, and thereby carry out our important social task: connecting households with the most modern network there is. In addition, we can speak of a substantial investment, because the installation of fibre in a city such as Amsterdam is very complex. With [the addition of] Amsterdam, the installation of fibre in major cities is on the right track. Previously we have already announced fibre roll-outs in major cities such as Zwolle, Apeldoorn, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Alkmaar and The Hague. We will make more announcements in the coming period.”