ACM Telecom Monitor for Q3 2024: Mobile-data consumption breaks a record again, as fiber-optic also continues to grow
The trends in the Dutch telecom industry continued in the third quarter of 2024. This has been revealed by the latest figures in the Telecom Monitor of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), which was published on 19 December. Mobile-data consumption passed a new milestone, and the roll-out of fiber-optic is steadily progressing. Other market segments, such as fixed telephony and television services over cable or copper, have decreased further.
For the first time ever, mobile-data consumption in the Netherlands passed the mark of 600 million GB. The roll-out of fiber optic, too, is nearing a symbolic mark: 7.94 million households now have fiber-optic connections right in front of their homes, and, of that group, 3.03 million have fiber-optic plans. In the previous quarter, those figures were 7.69 million households and 2.99 million households, respectively.
Television and telephony
Fewer and fewer consumers have taken out television services in their plans: approximately 6.92 million in the third quarter. The number of television subscriptions over cable (-1%) and over copper (-5.45%), in particular, have gone down. This is partially offset by the increase (+1.6%) in television viewing over fiber-optic. Although the Dutch consume more data using their mobile phones, they make fewer and fewer calls and send fewer and fewer text messages. The number of text messages, in particular, has dropped considerably compared with the previous quarter. In the second quarter of 2024, 520 million text messages were sent, while, in the third quarter, 503 million text messages were sent. The number of households with landlines continues to drop, too: from 4.15 million households in Q2 to 4.10 million in Q3. The market shares of the telecom operators have remained stable compared with the previous quarter. KPN and VodafoneZiggo continue to dominate the broadband market, while on the mobile market, KPN and Odido do so.
About the monitor
Each quarter, ACM publishes the Telecom Monitor. It gives an overview of the trends and developments in the telecom sector. The largest market participants in the telecom industry regularly submit data about their activities to ACM for the Telecom Monitor. ACM checks this information and, in that way, keeps a close watch on the trends and developments on the different markets. This data serves as a key foundation for ACM’s analyses. The trends and developments are presented in an interactive dashboard, which everybody can access.
Looking ahead: market scan and consumer survey
ACM is also working on a market scan, which is expected to be published in mid-January. With this scan, ACM expects to provide an up-to-date picture of competition on the fixed and mobile broadband markets. The consumer survey into the telecom market will be published at the same time, in which ACM measures switching behavior, price perceptions, confidence in the market, and appreciation of the market among consumers. These findings, too, will be taken into consideration in the market scan.