The street is open again for another fiber optic cable, why is that necessary? | Living

More and more fiber optic cables are being laid in the ground. In recent weeks, a letter has appeared on various doormats announcing that this time KPN will dig in the street and install fiber optic, while there is already a fiber optic network. Such as in the The Hague area and in some Brabant towns. It causes annoyance among residents. Streets have to open several times. And the result? A number of identical cables next to each other.

That’s how it is. For super-fast internet via fiber optic you need two companies: one that lays the cable and one that offers the subscription. Sometimes a provider does both, but cables can also be rented to a provider. However, most companies prefer to have their own network, which means that streets have to be opened several times to lay cables, even if there is already fiber optic.

Residents and municipalities cannot do anything about this. The Telecommunications Act states that any company that meets the conditions may lay cables. Municipalities can make agreements with telecom companies to install fiber optic cables in one go. For example, last year Amsterdam concluded an agreement with KPN and Open Dutch Fiber to manage the construction in the historic city center. “We are in the process of replacing our copper network with fiber optic,” says Hans van Zon of KPN. “The intention is that we will have fiberized 80 percent of our network by the end of 2026. This indeed means that in some neighborhoods there are several fiber optic cables.”

It means inconvenience for the residents. “On the one hand, it is indeed annoying,” Van Zon also acknowledges. “The sidewalk will open again, but on the other hand it also offers advantages. Customers have something to choose from and that is favorable for the price. And that nuisance is generally not too bad. The sidewalk opens in the morning and everything is closed again in the afternoon.”

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Can’t telecom providers simply use someone else’s network, so that there is only one cable? That is not an option for KPN, says Van Zon. “Creating and maintaining a network is one of our core activities. We have many customers on our copper network. They expect a product from KPN on stuff from KPN. It would be strange to give these customers away to another provider. We are in favor of collaborating with other parties on construction, but they must also want that.”

Multiple fiber optic cables in the street also means that residents have something to choose from. Important to know: you do not necessarily have to purchase a subscription from the company that installed the cable in the street. However, the network manager must have an agreement with the provider. KPN Network is the largest fiber optic network in the Netherlands. If this is on your doorstep, you can take out a subscription with XS4all, Youfone or KPN, among others.

Another large network is that of Delta, which has similarities with Delta itself, Odido and Caiway. KPN does not provide services on Delta’s fiber optic network and Delta does not do the same for KPN. In addition, Open Dutch Fiber will also be installing a lot of fiber optic in the near future, for example in Rotterdam and the surrounding area. Through this network you can, for example, take out a subscription with Odido and TriNed.