17
November
2020
|
14:00
Europe/Amsterdam

New mobile network KPN reaches more than two-thirds of the Netherlands

  • Better network with 50% higher download on 4G and 225 Mbps on average on 5G
  • Fiber to the site, new antennas support all available frequency bands, Massive Mimo on Hotspots
  • First customers active with distinctive 5G business services from KPN

With the installation of new equipment on the 2500th transmission tower in Limburg this week, KPN is halfway through the construction of a completely new nationwide mobile network. A milestone in an enormous operation, whereby the radio and antenna equipment of all transmission towers is being modernized and with which KPN contributes to the preservation of the Netherlands as a digital leader. More than two-thirds of the residents of the Netherlands are already benefiting from KPN's better and faster mobile network, both on 4G and 5G.

At the end of 2019, KPN started the modernization of its entire mobile network, whereby the equipment will be replaced at all approximately 5000 mobile sites. Old antennas are making way for new ones, which support all available frequency bands and make much more capacity and coverage available. In hotspots in the cities, Massive Mimo antennas are used that can distribute capacity among several users more targeted. With a 4G device, customers experience on average a 50% higher download speed after the replacement. In July, KPN activated 5G on the 700 MHz frequency band and for 5G devices, the average download speed on the new network is currently 225 Mbps. On 5G the upload speed is also considerably higher and the latency on the networks improves, so communication is increasingly real-time. This will open up new possibilities in entertainment and gaming.

Babak Fouladi, Chief Technology and Digital Officer and Member of the Board of Management KPN: “The renewal of the mobile network is a huge operation that will significantly improve the mobile network experience of our customers and contributes to our increasingly digital society. The new antennas support all technologies: not only 5G will become available, also 4G will be considerably better and all our customers will immediately benefit with better coverage, higher download speeds and a significantly higher upload.”

The new mobile network, which is 90% accessible via 10 Gbps fiber connections, is already available in a large part of the Netherlands. The coverage area is constantly expanding and covers the entire Randstad, the provinces of North Holland and South Holland, Utrecht, North Brabant and large parts of Flevoland, Gelderland and Limburg. For an optimal local 4G and 5G experience, KPN will continue to renew its network with a clustered based approach. The first customers are now using the new distinctive business services for business customers that KPN was the first to introduce in the Netherlands.