Many Dutch people are waiting too long for reliable internet.

One of the enthusiasts, Floris van den Broek, says: "In 2001, the government announced plans to provide every Dutch address with a fiber optic connection. The implementation was left to the free market, but because the major parties were not interested in making that investment, it was not until 2008 that the first households were connected. Twenty years after the government decision, only half of the eight million Dutch addresses had been equipped with fiber optic. For comparison: Spain and France, which used to lag far behind the Netherlands, had already surpassed us by then."

A leap into the deep

So Van den Broek decided in 2021 that it was high time to pursue his ambition and joined Open Dutch Fiber. Investment funds KKR and DTCP, who had made a deal with Odido to connect one million households to fiber optic, had just established Open Dutch Fiber. He is now leading this company together with Chief Financial Officer Mathijs van den Nieuwenhuijzen.

Meanwhile, the fiber optic network operator has grown into a mature organization and the goal is to provide one million households with fiber optic by 2025, adjusted to two million. However, the mission remains unchanged: to digitize the Netherlands and make that process easier. "We want to do this quickly because we believe that many Dutch people have been waiting too long for fast and reliable internet.", says Van den Broek.

In addition, the organization considers it important that residents and businesses have freedom of choice. Van den Broek: "Therefore, we are an open network. We are not an operator or provider ourselves and do not offer fiber optic subscriptions, only the physical fiber optic. In fact, operators can do literally anything with our connection. This allows them to deliver all conceivable speeds and have exactly the same technical capabilities as if they were laying their own fiber optic cables in the ground."

Innovations for acceleration

To accelerate growth, Open Dutch Fiber recently welcomed three new operators to the network: Fiber Operator, De Fiber Group, and Weserve. This brings the total number of providers offering their services to businesses and households with an Open Dutch Fiber fiber optic connection to over twelve. Additionally, the company has experienced significant growth in the past year through the acquisition of fiber optic manager E-Fiber and installation company TOF.

The goal to accelerate the fiber optic network in the Netherlands is not only achieved through acquisitions; there is also daily hard work on innovations. The company has recently developed new innovations to speed up installations, allowing neighborhood hubs to be built in limited spaces at unique locations, facilitating installations in high-rise buildings with less disruption. "Together with our partners, we make the installation of fiber optic faster, more efficient, and better every day. The independent nature of our company, where we aim to provide residents and businesses with freedom of choice and the most advantageous options, remains a focal point in our business operations.", said Van den Broek.