Our history
From telegraphy to 5G
Since 1881, KPN has been helping the Netherlands to progress with technological innovation. From the telegraph to 5G and from telephone operator to Internet of Things. This is the rich history of KPN.
KPN milestones
The history of our company is closely linked to that of our country. Below you will find the most memorable moments from 1881 to date.
De Groote Club
The building on the right (with the tower) housed ‘De Groote Club’: the location from where the first telephone call in the Netherlands took place. The building was demolished around 1912.
Establishment of the Administratie der Posterijen en Telegrafie
Establishment of the Administratie der Posterijen en Telegrafie (P and T), an independent organization funded by the Ministry of Water Management, Trade & Industry.
Telegraph and Telephone Law
More and more Dutch people get a telephone connection following the introduction of the Telegraph and Telephone Law.
75,000 subscribers
More than 75,000 subscribers are connected to the telephone network. The telephone operator establishes a connection.
Standard mailbox in 1918
Standard letter box for automated emptying, as used in the Netherlands in 1918.
Change of name
A new law gives P and T another name: Staatsbedrijf der Posterijen, Telegrafie en Telefonie (PTT).
First telephone call
First telephone call with the Dutch East Indies. At 12,000 kilometers, the longest telephone connection in the world.
Telephone kiosk on the Valeriusplein
The Netherlands gets acquainted with the telephone kiosk. In 1931, Amsterdam’s Valeriusplein had the honor of having the first telephone kiosk on a public road in the Netherlands, an automatic coin-operated device for local calls.
Logo 1935 - 1945
Telephone exchanges destroyed
One third of all automatic telephone exchanges were destroyed during World War Two: a capacity of almost 85,000 numbers.
003
By dialing 003, callers can listen to an automated weather forecast from the KNMI via the telephone.
Logo 1950 - 1957
Subscribers increase
From the 1960s, the telephone becomes accessible to everyone. The number of subscribers doubles from 1 to 2 million.
Historical moment
Minister Henk Korthals of Traffic and Water Management calls for the last time via a manually operated exchange. He gives the instruction to activate an automatic variant. On the left-hand side is Mr. G.H. Bast, Director-General of the PTT.
T65
Launch of the iconic T65 phone. First gray, and then in other colors.
Emergency phones
The first Dutch roadside emergency telephones are activated, between Hoevelaken and Zwolle. The emergency phones are a collaboration of the PTT, ANWB and Rijkswaterstaat.
ATF-1 network
An important step on the way to mobile telephony: the introduction of the car phone, connected via the ATF-1 network.
100th anniversary
On the 100th anniversary of telephony, there are 500 million telephone connections worldwide. Currently 5 million of these are in the Netherlands.
Logo 1981 - 1989
Standing on its own feet
On 1 January 1989, PTT got a new name: Koninklijke PTT Nederland NV, or KPN. This was the first step in the transition from state-owned company to full independence. The shares remained in the hands of the state, but from this date the organization itself was responsible for business operations. Wim Dik became Chairman of the Board of Management and was given the task of turning KPN into a commercial concern. PTT Post and PTT Telecom were the most important elements of KPN.
Greenpoint
From early on, KPN saw the enormous potential of mobile calling. Greenpoint was a network of 5,000 contact points located at, among others, post offices and gas stations.
Internet
Internet makes its debut: for the first time, it’s possible to send messages via electronic post. Or: e-mail.
GSM network
The first GSM network means that callers are now accessible all the time and everywhere via their mobile phone.
KPN shares
KPN shares are issued on the Amsterdam stock exchange. This is followed by listings on the New York, London and Frankfurt exchanges. Since 2008, the stock is no longer internationally listed.
Operation DeciBel
On 10 October (the ‘tenth of the tenth’) all telephone numbers become 10 digits. The large re-numbering campaign is called Operation DeciBel and is necessary in order to guarantee that sufficient telephone numbers can be created in the future.
Nokia 9000 Communicator
The Nokia 9000 Communicator is one of the very first smartphones introduced to the Netherlands. Users can call, e-mail, surf the internet and fax.
Hi
Introduction of the Hi brand, which is focused on young people and mobile telephony. It is a highly successful provider of mobile telephony for many years. It continues until 2015, and then becomes part of KPN.
1998
Logo 1998 - 2006
PTT Post and PTT Telecom separated
PTT Post and PTT Telecom go their separate ways. PTT Telecom then becomes known as KPN NV.
XS4ALL
Internet provider XS4ALL becomes part of KPN. XS4ALL was started in 1993 as a pilot by the Dutch hackers organization Hack-Tic.
'A mobile phone? No, I don’t need one'
It’s now become an iconic video in 1998, program maker Frans Bromet questioned people on the street about the usefulness of a mobile phone.
Blackberry
With the introduction of the Blackberry, the growth of business data traffic via the smartphone explodes.
Ad Scheepbouwer
Ad Scheepbouwer is appointed as new CEO with the mission to secure the future of KPN. A large-scale reorganization reduces debts and increases trust.
Digitenne
KPN acquires a stake in Digitenne and now offers, in addition to telephone calls and internet, digital TV as well.
The Olympic Games in Athens
The Olympic Games in Athens are an opportunity for a special experiment by KPN and the NOS: the images of the sporting event are made available via the internet.
Experiment and innovate
Telfort
Following the acquisition of Telfort KPN gains an additional 2 million customers.
Interactive TV
In 2006, KPN introduced ‘Mine’, which quickly gets the name Interactive TV. From now on, subscribers are free to decide what and when they watch.
Logo 2006 - present
Launch of the first iPhone
The launch of the first iPhone by Apple’s Steve Jobs. It will be the definitive breakthrough of the smartphone among the general public.
Getronics
With digitization, telephony and ICT increasingly converge. Telecommunication becomes data communication. Consequently, KPN acquires the ICT company Getronics in order to expand into a full-service ICT service provider.
Launch of C2000
Launch of C2000, the system that enables all national emergency services to be connected with each other, all the time and everywhere.
From calling to apps
With the advent of new communication devices, the street scene is also changing: we are now looking at our screens instead of calling.
Cloud
KPN offers customers the possibility to save their data in the cloud. So no longer on a hard disk on the computer, but on servers in secure data centers.
Eelco Blok
Eelco Blok succeeds Scheepbouwer as CEO.
Fiber network
KPN expands its fiber network and at the same time improves its wide-ranging copper network in order to handle the rapidly growing data traffic.
4G
KPN is the first Dutch provider of national 4G coverage, which facilitates the rapid sending of data.
Climate neutral
Despite a structural increase in data traffic, KPN is able to reduce its energy consumption every year. In 2015, KPN becomes totally climate neutral.
Innovation
With the creation of two new divisions, KPN Ventures and KPN Technology Labs, KPN is fully committed to innovation. On the one hand by investing in promising companies, on the other hand by developing new applications itself.
Launch of LoRa
LoRa stands for: ‘long range low power’. With this, KPN is anticipating the growing number of devices that can communicate independently: the Internet of Things.
Nationwide LoRa network
KPN's new LoRa network will be available throughout the Netherlands in June. This makes the Netherlands the first country in the world to have a nationwide LoRa network for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
1 million fixed-mobile customers
KPN has more than 1 million fixed-mobile customers in October. These are customers who combine at least one product for the home with a mobile subscription.
Sponsor of the Year
KPN has been named Sponsor of the Year for the third time. The prize is awarded annually by the Sponsor Rings Foundation. The years of high-level structural sponsorship approach in the field of sport, art & culture and society are rewarded.
World’s most sustainable telecom company
The Dow Jones Sustainability Index has proclaimed KPN the world’s most sustainable telecom company.
10 years KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds
KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds has been providing solidarity for 10 years. Social contact is a necessity of life, but it is by no means self-evident for everyone.
LTE-M
KPN completes range of IoT networks with LTE-M nationwide coverage and has now completed its IoT connectivity portfolio. In addition to the LoRa and M2M applications, which make use of the mobile networks, customers can now also use LTE-M, which is particularly suitable for allowing devices to interchange data very frequently in a cost-efficient manner.
New CEO
Maximo Ibarra starts as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of KPN. He succeeds Eelco Blok, who held this position for 8 years.
Global Cyberlympics
KPN maintains worldwide top position on Cyberlympics. The ethical hackers of KPN came third in the Global Cyberlympics final in Oshawa (Canada).
KPN 5G Field Lab
Start of KPN's 5G Field Lab for automotive applications at the Automotive Campus in Helmond, as part of the European Concorda project. The possibilities of connected & automated driving are being tested.
Modernization of KPN’s headquarters
The renovation and modernization of KPN’s headquarters in Rotterdam has been completed.
New CEO - Joost Farwerck
KPN appoints Joost Farwerck as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management. He succeeds Maximo Ibarra, who stepped down as CEO of KPN after 1 year.
Opnieuw wereldklimaatleider
KPN behoorde in 2019 wederom tot de 2% van de bedrijven die volgens het Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) wereldwijd klimaatleider zijn en vooroplopen in het verminderen van CO2-uitstoot en het inperken van klimaatverandering.
COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, strict social measures are being taken. People in the Netherlands have been called upon to work from home or to spread working hours as much as possible. Massive use is being made of our network all over the Netherlands from the beginning of the corona crisis. There is a sharp increase and a shift in traffic within the network: more from home, less from the office. We also see a significant increase in mobile call traffic and a rise in internet traffic.
KPN turns on 5G
KPN activates its renewed mobile network in the Netherlands. A huge operation that is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021. The benefits as of that day: even more speed and capacity - at home, on the road and in the office. In addition, all customers with a suitable device can instantly use 5G, the latest generation of mobile technology.
KPN ends skating partnership after ten years
After ten successful years as chief sponsor of the KNSB (Dutch Skating Association), KPN has ended this partnership. Both KPN and KNSB look back on a fruitful partnership that started in 2010 after the Vancouver Winter Olympics. With the support of KPN, the skating sport has been able to develop further, skating enthusiasm struck again during natural ice winters and a strong program was set up to teach children how to skate.
More sustainable fiber optic cabling
KPN is starting a pilot scheme for fiber-optic cable made from 90% recycled plastic. Only 10% new plastic is required to manufacture the sleeve that houses the fiber-optic cable. KPN is the first telecom company in Europe to experiment with this.
New formula for KPN stores
A new store formula is introduced. The formula, which focuses on experience, has been developed based on the most recent insights into how people shop physically in combination with online.
Accelerate digitalization
To accelerate digitalization in the Netherlands, KPN is investing approximately 3.5 billion euro in the next three years. KPN will double the number of households with super-fast internet via fiber by the end of 2025. And after that, KPN will also continue to renew its network by replacing copper with fiber, so that, in the long term, more than 80% of the Netherlands will have access to a connection with the speed of light and can benefit from the hyper-connected society.
Introduction of renewed logo
KPN launching partner E_Oranje
KPN has committed to becoming a launching partner of E_Oranje, the pre-selection of the digital Dutch team, part of the Royal Dutch Football Association’s (KNVB) new E_football strategy. For almost four years KPN has been a partner of the KNVB and seeks to increase its role in Esports and gaming with this partnership.
Tomorrow's history
No one can predict what the future will bring. KPN views technological innovations with an open mind. In the 3rd edition of 'The Technology Book' we define the ten most promising trends for the future. From 5G to energy harvesting. Showing that KPN is continually working towards new milestones, inventions that can give further momentum to the Netherlands. Just as we have been doing since 1881.
Read The Technology Book
‘I’ll connect you’
Several years after Alexander Bell applied for a patent on the telephone in 1876, the invention reached the Netherlands. On 1 June 1881, the first public telephone network in the Netherlands became operational in Amsterdam. In the attic of the ‘De Groote Club’ society, on the corner of the Kalverstraat and the Dam, a telephone operator from the Nederlandsche Bell-Telephoon Maatschappij (NBTM) connected the 49 subscribers to each other. ‘I’ll connect you’ were the legendary words of the first telephone call in the Netherlands.
Several years later, in 1888, the NBTM established the first long distance connection in the Netherlands, between Amsterdam and Haarlem. The first steps on the way to a widespread network.
Not the famous green
The telephone kiosk on the Valeriusplein did not yet have the famous green color; that was only introduced in 1965. Around the year of 2000 there were some 20,000 telephone kiosks in our country. In January 2011, KPN announced that it would discontinue operation of public telephone kiosks.
Minister bids farewell to the telephone operator
Warffum was the last municipality in the Netherlands to be connected to a fully automated telephone network. From this date, all callers could establish the right connection using the dial on their telephone. It meant the end of the telephone operator in telephone exchanges. At the peak, around 1930, there were more than 2,000 telephone operators manually connecting all the calls in the Netherlands.
Calling with Kermit
With a special telephone, the Greenhopper, subscribers could make mobile calls at these locations. Greenpoint was designed as a cheap alternative to the expensive carphone network. Initially, the striking Greenhopper was called Kermit, after Kermit the Frog. In 1996, Greenpoint had 60,000 subscribers. With the advent of GSM, Greenpoint became obsolete. KPN discontinued this network in 1999.
Iconic video
Without exception those interviewed answered that existing means of communication – landline telephone, answerphone, letter – were more than sufficient.
It is difficult to comprehend that at that moment we were on the eve of a mobile revolution: in 1998 there were 3 million mobile connections, 10 years later this was 20 million.
KPN leading in digital innovations
At the start of the 21st century, KPN is leading the way in digital innovations. For example, the Netherlands is the first country in Europe to experiment with i-mode, an early generation mobile internet. KPN also looks into new features such as watching TV via your mobile phone. Many firsts follow: Catch-up TV (2006), Live pausing (2010), watching online TV anywhere via Play (2015) and contactless mobile payments (2016).
Now the viewer decides
In addition to a large number of digital channels, customers can also simply record programs. What’s more, customers are given Catch-up TV, an Electronic Program Guide and access to On Demand films. Since its introduction, KPN continues to add services to Interactive TV, such as apps, Netflix and viewing via telephone or tablet.
From calling to apps
Consumers are increasingly connected to each other 24/7. Lots of free programs are introduced onto the market, such as WhatsApp in 2009. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter also grow into popular forms of communication. As a result, the numbers of calls and SMSs sent decrease sharply; meanwhile data traffic grows massively. Even more because tablets and smartphones are rapidly taken over the Netherlands.
Talking devices
Via this technology, it is, for example, possible to see which garbage containers are full and need to be emptied. And it can help vets check the health of cows remotely. In this way, LoRa makes it possible for a large number of places to work faster and work smarter.
10 jaar KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds
The KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds has been bringing lonely people back in touch with their environment by impactful projects and the deployment of people, resources and technology from KPN.
The Link
The striking tower of architect Renzo Piano at the bottom of the Erasmus Bridge on the Kop van Zuid will be named The Link, a reference to the connection that is central to KPN’s services.