Rapidly efficient due to accelerated fiber roll-out

"Our team is responsible for managing and optimizing the fixed network. The aim is to offe rinternet services via fiber to 80% of Dutch households by 2026.

We have been providing KPN’s network with fiber since 2005. This has partly been done by means of Reggefiber, through FttH roll-out, and partly through the roll-out of VDSL. With VDSL, we rolled out fiber to every neighborhood in the Netherlands to increase the speed on the last piece of copper. We completed the VDSL program in 2019, making it immediately possible for almost every person living in the Netherlands to get speeds well above 100 Mbps. The completion of the VDSL program was the starting point for scaling up the fiber roll-out to the home. In order to be able to realize this scale-up of fiber roll-out,we have built an organization with extra attention for the well-being and development of the employees. We have increased our production considerably in recent years. That's quite an operation in which the number of employees remained the same. 

We have concluded long-term contracts with contractors and we plan at least three years in advance to guarantee the large production numbers. That turned out to be a formula forsuccess. With the roll-out of fiber, more and more Dutch households are opting for KPN's services and churn on fiber is lower compared to copper. In order to properly prioritize, we have developed a model with which we can provide insight into the value (growth) of the roll-outfor KPN. And we are proud of that. Our long-term planning is based on that model. 

If we roll out in one area, preparations are already taking place in the areas that follow. This is possible because our contractors work with almost 50 construction flows. This is a collective of several small companies that roll out fiber for KPN. Sometimes there are as many as 60 people working in one area at the same time. It is important to us that they are all working, because if one link has no work, the construction flow can fall apart and the roll-out will come to a halt.

Over time, the market has become more competitive and the roll-out is moving to larger cities because, relatively, the least fiber has been rolled out there. Also the current labor market was a challenge for us. These factors sometimes make the roll-out a bit more challenging. More consultation is needed with governmentsto properly plan the roll-out of all parties. In addition, good preparation is essential because there is simply less space underground in urban areas. Traffic measures and other above-ground obstacles must also be taken into account, and it is technically more challenging to connect high-rise buildings. 

The goal for 2026 isto provide 80% of the Netherlands with fiber. By the end of the year, we will have almost reached 4 million households. The pace will remain high until 2026, after which we will dot the i's and cross the t's to really phase out the copper network completely. With our fiber strategy and the accelerated roll-out as a game changer, we are taking a big step towards super-efficient management and are offering the Netherlands a super-fast network."