Dutch network operator, KPN and network and internet service provider (ISP), Kabeltex have signed an agreement in which the former will acquire the latter.
Kabeltex builds fibre optic networks and provides internet service in the municipality of Texel and the north of North Holland. The company offers full coverage in Texel and is currently completing the rollout of fibre optic broadband in Den Helder, Hollands Kroon and Schagen. Kabeltex's networks include approximately 18,000 addresses.
This acquisition is in line with KPN's goal of providing approximately 80% of The Netherlands with fibre optic services together with Glaspoort - the fibre infrastructure joint venture between KPN and pension fund ABP - by the end of 2026.
Investment in Dutch fibre broadband
KPN has already committed that it will continue to invest to improve the Dutch digital infrastructure in the coming years. The firm pledged that, up to and including 2027, it will invest more than €4.5bn, a large part of which will go to the rollout of fibre optic broadband. By the end of 2026, approximately 80% of all Dutch households will have fibre optic from KPN, this is approximately two million more connections than today.
Joost Farwerck, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of KPN said of the commitment: “We have achieved the main ambitions of our strategy over the past three years. KPN is growing again in all segments and the rollout of fibre optic is on track. I am proud of the efforts of all our employees to achieve these goals.”
The company also recently introduced what it calls the highest internet speed in the Netherlands; 4Gb/s for both downloading and uploading. This speed will initially be available to customers who have been connected to KPN's latest fibre optic network since 2021, which was when it introduced XGS-PON access technology. In the long term, KPN expects that all Dutch households connected to its fibre optic network will use this technology, which can enable higher speeds
Following completion of the Kabeltex acquisition, KPN will add Kabeltex’s fibre optic networks to its existing offering of wholesale fibre services. This is designed to allow a wide range of parties to use these networks, giving end users a wide choice of various providers and providers.
