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The Netherlands has a very high and continuously improving coverage of fast fixed internet connections, both in urban areas and rural areas. However, there is still a significant number of addresses that do not yet have access to a fast internet connection, especially in rural areas. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) asked us to provide insight into this remaining challenge based on three scenarios, specifically focusing on addresses that are expected to still lack access to a 100 Mbit/s connection by the end of 2023. We conducted several analyses on these addresses, identifying the technical possibilities and costs associated with upgrading them. Finally, we outlined actionable perspectives for governments that can contribute to addressing this remaining challenge.
According to our research, we expect that around 18,800 addresses in rural areas will still not have access to a minimum of 100 Mbit/s connection by 2023 without public intervention. Upgrading to fibre optic is the most preferred solution, but the implementation costs of €250 million are too high to be achieved under commercial conditions. A maximum public contribution of €195 million is necessary to achieve full deployment. By excluding or wirelessly serving the most expensive one to five percent, there can be a cost reduction in connection costs of roughly six to twenty percent. Solving this issue requires close collaboration between EZK, regional governments, service providers, and consumers.
Interested in the different scenarios and innovative geodata analyses we used for this assignment? Please refer to the report here or contact Menno Driesse.
