Measured average speeds worldwide
Cable and M-lab conducted this study and performed speed tests around the world. To do so, they used speed tests conducted by users themselves in each country. In the Netherlands, the researchers used data from 1.7 million IP addresses, and in Belgium, 1.8 million. In total, the research teams analyzed approximately 1.5 million speed tests from around the world. The speeds measured were based on Wi-Fi speeds, which means the results may have been lower than what the connections are actually capable of. Additionally, people often only run a speed test when they suspect there are issues with their connection or when their internet suddenly gets faster. As a result, it is unclear how representative the figures truly are.
Changes over the past few years
Many countries that rank near the bottom of the list have always been near the bottom. Take Syria and Turkmenistan, for example. Nevertheless, there have been some changes in internet speeds in certain countries. For instance, the United Kingdom has dropped in the rankings compared to other countries in Western Europe. The researchers attribute this to the relative pace at which Full Fiber is being rolled out in the United Kingdom. Efforts are underway in England, but progress does not seem to be as rapid as in other European countries. Finally, the researchers note that in some countries, an increasing number of people are consciously choosing subscriptions with lower speeds, primarily due to high costs. This, of course, can also influence the results!
Conclusion
So it looks like the Netherlands is doing well globally when it comes to internet speeds. In recent years, a lot of time and money has suddenly been invested in building fiber-optic networks here. As a result, we already have access to faster and more stable internet in large parts of the country. The average speed here is expected to keep rising in the coming years 😉
Twice as many high-speed fiber-optic plans
In the first quarter of 2024, 380,000 households opted for the fastest fiber-optic subscription with a speed of 1 gigabit or more. In the same period a year earlier, this figure was 200,000 households, so that’s nearly a doubling in just one year. These figures come from the Telecommonitor report by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). And this shows that the growth of fiber-optic internet in the Netherlands is continuing to accelerate. You can definitely see this if you look around. In many places, construction is underway to install fiber-optic infrastructure. Currently, at least 7.38 million households have fiber-optic connections available at their doorstep. More than a third of them actually have a fiber-optic subscription and are therefore using this network.
The installation of fiber-optic cables isn't going as smoothly everywhere
Unfortunately, there are still parts of the Netherlands where fiber-optic installation is lagging behind. This is the case, for example, in some parts of Groningen, North Holland, Zeeland, South Holland, and Limburg. As a result, it is still far from always possible to use a fiber-optic connection in these areas. The number of people using coaxial or copper connections is steadily declining. In particular, there has been a sharp decline in copper connections in the Netherlands.
Bundled plans are no longer as popular
Combined subscriptions that include internet, TV, and landline service are no longer as popular in the Netherlands. Households prefer to opt for a bundle with just two services, since landline service is no longer even used in many households. In addition, the Telecommonitor shows that consumers are increasingly opting for a bundle that includes fixed internet and a mobile plan. Often, they receive a discount on their fixed-line contract and free extra data for their mobile plan.
Conclusion
Fiber-optic internet continues to gain popularity in the Netherlands, especially the fastest fiber-optic plans. And this is despite the fact that parts of the country don’t even have access to a fiber-optic network yet. Fiber-optic infrastructure is currently being rolled out very quickly, but is still lagging behind in some regions. Finally, bundles combining internet, TV, and phone service are becoming less popular, and more consumers are opting for a bundle of fixed-line internet and a mobile plan.
1. A secure connection
One of the biggest advantages of business fiber-optic internet over a traditional connection is that your network is more secure. Cable networks are easier to hack, and some Wi-Fi connections aren’t properly secured against intruders either. As a business, you naturally want to keep your data and your customers’ data securely locked away, so digital security is very important. Fiber-optic internet is very difficult to hack, since a fiber-optic cable must be physically cut to access the data. And if that happens, you’ll know immediately that something is wrong.
2. With business-grade fiber optic internet, you get a stable and consistent connection
When you choose business fiber optic internet, you’re always guaranteed a stable and consistent connection. This is because the performance of fiber optic cables degrades much more slowly than that of traditional copper cables. With a traditional connection, for example, you may experience issues due to bad weather, electrical interference, or the distance from a transmission tower. If your business is located in a more remote area, there’s a good chance you’ll have slow internet with a traditional connection. The speed and reliability of fiber optic internet are not affected by these factors, so you’re always guaranteed a fast and stable connection!
3. Faster internet speeds thanks to business fiber-optic service
Finally, business fiber-optic internet offers much higher speeds than a traditional connection. Business fiber-optic internet provides speeds of up to 1000 Mbps, which is about 20 times faster than a traditional connection. Not only is the overall speed of fiber-optic internet higher, but the download and upload speeds are equally fast. With traditional connections, you often see that the download speed is significantly higher than the upload speed. That might not seem like such a big deal, but it can mean that uploading data takes an enormous amount of time. Since more and more companies are using cloud solutions, it’s certainly nice when uploading is faster too. After all, sometimes a lot of data needs to be uploaded to the cloud.
Conclusion
Business fiber-optic internet offers many advantages over a traditional internet connection. As a business, you naturally want a stable and fast internet connection that is also reliable.
More data traffic, fewer call minutes
By 2023, the number of households using fiber-optic internet had increased by about 25%. In addition, mobile data usage rose by more than 25% last year. In contrast, we have been making far fewer calls, both on our cell phones and via landlines. Over the past 10 years, the number of minutes we spend on landline calls has dropped by 75%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of call minutes saw a brief resurgence. We saw each other less and so ended up Many people today don’t even have a landline at home anymore. That’s not really a surprise, of course, because it often seems much easier and faster to send a quick text or email instead of making a call. Among younger generations, we’re even seeing this trend become increasingly common.
Mobile data traffic has quadrupled
There are now a large number of households in our country that use fiber-optic internet. In 2023, 7.13 million households were connected to the fiber-optic network, and the number of households that had actually signed up for a fiber-optic subscription had also risen by 300,000 to 2.64 million. More than a third of Dutch households with a connection have therefore actually signed up for a subscription. The number of copper connections, on the other hand, is declining, as in some areas this service is even being discontinued where fiber-optic internet is available. Eventually, the entire Netherlands will likely switch to fiber-optic internet, and all copper connections will be discontinued.
Mobile data usage in the Netherlands
Mobile data traffic in the Netherlands has quadrupled compared to five years ago. In the third quarter of 2023, usage rose to 558 million gigabytes. That represents an 8.6% increase compared to the second quarter of that year. Since measurements began, the third quarter of 2023 has thus been the quarter with the highest mobile data consumption. The increase in data consumption in the Netherlands can be partly explained by the growing number of devices that use a data connection themselves. Examples include cars, smart meters, and alarm systems.
Conclusion
It is clear that we in the Netherlands are doing more and more online and that we are also using more and more data while on the go. This is clearly reflected in the figures, as total data traffic rose sharply in 2023. In contrast, we’ve actually been making far fewer calls, especially on landlines. More than 7 million households in the Netherlands now have access to the fiber-optic network, and about a third of them also have a fiber-optic subscription. And we’re expected to eventually reach a point where the entire country uses fiber-optic internet, as copper connections are already being phased out in some areas!
Source: ACM Telecommonitor
If you create something and post it online, anyone can see it—and, in theory, copy it. People can apply for patents on inventions, but things like a blog or a song you’ve written yourself are a bit different. That’s where intellectual property comes in: to protect the fruits of the mind. In this blog, we’ll tell you more about what intellectual property is and how it works!
What is intellectual property?
Intellectual property rights protect creations of the mind. That might sound a bit vague, but it basically means that you own the rights to something you’ve created. This can be anything from a story you’ve written to a specific design for a website or app. Unlike a patent or ordinary property rights, intellectual property rights protect intangible assets. If we take a car as an example, intellectual property rights do not protect the car itself, but rather the ideas behind it—such as the car’s design or specific new technologies incorporated into it. Intellectual property rights can even apply to a car’s model name.
What types of intellectual property rights are there?
Intellectual property consists of a number of rights that are governed by various laws and international treaties. Each type has its own requirements for protection, a different scope of protection, and a different term of protection. Below, we will explain the six most common forms of intellectual property: copyright, database rights, know-how, patent rights, trade name rights, and trademark rights.
Copyright
Copyright belongs to the creator of a work; the law refers to this as “a work of literature, science, or art.” In principle, you don’t have to do anything to obtain copyright; you don’t need to apply for the right or anything of the sort. You simply need to be able to demonstrate that a work was created or written by you. For example, copyright in a book arises when it is written, and copyright in a musical composition arises when it is composed. Software is also subject to copyright, of course, and that arises when the code for the software is written. For software, it also does not need to be finished to obtain copyright; even the alpha version is protected by copyright.
Patent law
You can obtain a patent if you invent something that does not yet exist or, at the very least, has not yet been made publicly known anywhere in the world. In addition, it must be the result of an inventive step—in other words, it must be inventive—and it must be capable of being applied, meaning it must actually work. You can apply for a patent at the Patent Office. Generally speaking, you cannot obtain a patent for software.
Database Law
Database rights are also known as extraction rights and are intended for the producer of a database. A database refers to collections that demonstrate a substantial investment. Examples include a collection of keywords in a dictionary or names in a directory on a website. There are no formalities required to obtain this right, so it is comparable to copyright. You don’t have to apply for it like a patent!
Trademark Law
Trademark law applies to signs used to distinguish a company’s products or services. In other words, signs that identify a company, such as a logo, a name, or a word mark. To obtain this right, it is important that the logo or word mark has sufficient distinctiveness. In some cases, trademark rights can also be obtained based on a color, a musical tune, or even a scent. You must apply for trademark rights. You do this through the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property.
Trade Name Law
Trade name law is intended to protect the name under which a business operates. A trade name may be registered with the Chamber of Commerce, but this is not required to qualify for trade name protection. The only requirement for this right is that the trade name be used consistently by a company—not just verbally, but also on stationery, on the website, as a domain name, and so on. In addition, the trade name must also be known to a wider public.
Expertise
The final type of right is know-how. This is sometimes still a somewhat vague concept, but know-how encompasses intangible works that are not, or only minimally, protected by intellectual property rights, yet still hold value. Examples include a mathematical formula, a marketing concept, or the image rights of a well-known person. In practice, we often see people protecting know-how through Non-Disclosure Agreements. A fine is therefore often imposed for breaching these agreements.
When is it essential to have your intellectual property in order?
It’s generally always a good idea to make sure you have your intellectual property rights for your business, product, or service in order, but there are a few situations where this is especially important:
- You want to transfer or sell your intellectual property rights
- You want to sell your business and therefore transfer shares
- You are currently involved in disputes with competitors or other market players regarding IP infringement
- You want to obtain financing or secure a lien
- You want to sign contracts with customers and distributors