The other thing to realize is there is essentially two main players on the Dutch Internet market: ADSL (over phone lines run by KPN but any ISP can wholesale their services) and Cable (run mainly by a Ziggo/Vodafone). Cable requires a TV subscription and ADSL requires an active phone line. Both parties have invested in their network quite a bit and have triple/quad play packages (integrating TV, Internet, Phone and Cell Phone).
I can in some way understand KPN needs to slim down their offering in order to better compete with Ziggo, but this will likely bite them in the but. Another brand Telfort is also being shuttered: it's their no-support, cheap brand. Generally services sold under KPN's brand are one of the most expensive.
I have FTTH from XS4All. FTTH has unfortunately not been rolled out enough. One of the advantage is I can take just the internet line and not have to pay for a phone line or TV service I don't use. There's other ISPs that I could choose from, but Xs4all have a good package, not outrageously expensive.
> FTTH has unfortunately not been rolled out enough.
Much of the effort driving the rollout of fiber was done by a company called ReggeFiber. KPN saw it as a threat, bought a majority stake in ReggeFiber and killed most fiber investments. It's classic monopolistic behavior by an incumbent and it's a major failure of telecom regulators that they allowed KPN to buy ReggeFiber.
It's also extremely short sighted given how KPN is totally losing the speed battle against cable. It's like they want to go to shit.
EDIT: just found read comment (from an account created to write that single comment‽): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18920213 - looks like someone at KPN had a change of heart.
I can in some way understand KPN needs to slim down their offering in order to better compete with Ziggo, but this will likely bite them in the but. Another brand Telfort is also being shuttered: it's their no-support, cheap brand. Generally services sold under KPN's brand are one of the most expensive.
I have FTTH from XS4All. FTTH has unfortunately not been rolled out enough. One of the advantage is I can take just the internet line and not have to pay for a phone line or TV service I don't use. There's other ISPs that I could choose from, but Xs4all have a good package, not outrageously expensive.