Incumbent KPN has received at least three takeover bids in the past ten years, according to CEO Ad Scheepbouwer.
However the offers were too low for KPN’s price-tag, Scheepbouwer told a local newspaper.
He also hinted that Spanish operator Telefonica and…
Incumbent KPN has received at least three takeover bids in the past ten years, according to CEO Ad Scheepbouwer.
However the offers were too low for KPN’s price-tag, Scheepbouwer told a local newspaper.
He also hinted that Spanish operator Telefonica and French incumbent France Telecom had enough resources to carry out a takeover.
KPN confirmed the comments, but declined to elaborate on them.
Telecoms Act consultation launched
Meanwhile, the government is consulting an amended version of its Telecommunications Act to comply with European law by May. Proposed revisions concern peripheral devices and radio equipment, interoperability, universal service, end-user interests and conditional access, according to reports translating the consultation.
The deadline for responses to the internet consultation is 22 April.
The government has agreed to merge telecoms regulator OPTA with the consumer and competition authorities to create a super regulatory body. A steering group led by an independent chairman will be set up with a view to merging the entities before 2013, a spokesman for telecoms minister Maxime Verhagen told TelecomFinance.
KPN has acquired local MVNO Tringg from MVNE 6G Mobile for an undisclosed sum. Some 14,000 customers, who were already on KPN’s network, have now been migrated to its subscriber base. 6G Mobile, which operates two other MVNOs, Kruidvat Mobiel and Ajax Mobile, said it would use the proceeds to develop new innovative mobile services.
Mobile coming soon
Ziggo must launch mobile services within a year after being
given 100,000 numbers on 2 February, a spokeswoman for
regulator Opta has confirmed.
Ziggo must commercially use the numbers within a year of
being granted them under Opta’s rules.
Ziggo acquired 2×20 MHz of frequencies in the 2.6 GHz
band during the Dutch spectrum auction last April.
Speaking to delegates at Switzerland’s Cable Congress on
15 February, Ziggo CEO Bernard Dijkhuizen said the group was
looking at “opportunities to develop their [mobile] offering”, but
these services had yet to be proven for a cableco.
Mike Fries, CEO of US cableco giant Liberty Global, which
through Dutch subsidiary UPC also acquired spectrum last
year, added that it was difficult to be a mobile operator. This
is because of the significant margins and capital requirements
that are required just to stay ahead, said Fries.
The Opta spokeswoman confirmed that UPC had yet to file a
request for mobile numbers.
