In the coming years, 320,000 households in Amsterdam will be connected to KPN’s fiber optic network. Touria Meliani, Digital City councilor for the Municipality of Amsterdam and Willem Offerhaus, KPN’s director of Executive Relations & Strategic projects explained the project at the Eye Film Museum on the Promenadekade in Amsterdam-North. In the first quarter of 2020, KPN will start the rollout in the neighborhoods of Amsterdam-North and Buitenveldert. It concerns so-called ‘fiber to the home’ connections from the neighborhood junction boxes to consumers’ homes.

Councilor Touria Meliani (Digital City): “For me, it is important that Amsterdam’s residents have affordable access to the best and most secure internet that there is. Participation starts with access, and the installation of fiber optics contributes to this. It was the council’s wish to start construction in Amsterdam North, so that the area can develop further as a digital frontrunner for businesses, consumers, and residents.”

Willem Offerhaus: “We are also proud to be able to roll-out fiber optic in our capital and thus fulfill our main social responsibility: connecting households with the most modern network there is. What’s more, we’re talking about a substantial investment, because the installation of fiber optics in a city such as Amsterdam is complex. The Amsterdam roll-out ensures the installation of fiber optics in key cities is on the right track. Previously, we announced the rollout of fiber optic in large cities such as Zwolle, Apeldoorn, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Alkmaar and The Hague. In the coming period, we will make more announcements.”

Fiber optic in Amsterdam
KPN is starting construction in the neighborhoods of Amsterdam-Buitenveldert (Northern part) and Amsterdam-North. The other neighborhoods will gradually follow. The first households will be connected to the fiber optic network by the middle of next year. Currently, more than 90,000 households already have KPN fiber optic (Oosterparkbuurt, IJburg, Indische Buurt, De Aker, Nieuw Sloten, and Osdorp).

The construction of the fiber optic network in Amsterdam is a multi-year project. KPN will install the network neighborhood by neighborhood and street by street. First, the best installation route will be determined. This is followed by the excavation work and then the fiber optic cable is laid and installed in the home. Residents will be informed about this in advance and we will decide together with the householder when we will connect them.

Advantages of fiber optic
Fiber optic delivers a broadband connection of the highest quality. It is very stable, has a huge capacity and the download and upload speeds are the same. And uploading is becoming increasingly important; fiber optic is unique in this regard. In addition, fiber optic is the most sustainable method: the fiber optic cable sends a light signal, not an electric signal, and that uses much less electricity than other cables and networks. In the coming years, data growth will continue to grow enormously, not only as a result of more intensive internet use and the increasing number of devices, but also due to gaming, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. These developments are all possible with fiber optic.

One million
By the end of 2021, KPN will have connected about one million households throughout the Netherlands, in addition to the more than two million that it has already connected. KPN is in talks with two thirds of all municipalities about the installation of fiber optics and is currently rolling it out in more than 65 areas. Once the fiber optic network is installed, it will be open for the services of diverse service providers. This is how KPN is building the network of the future.