| Profile: | KPN offers telecommunication services to both private and business customers. The core activities are telephony and data services through KPN's fixed network in The Netherlands, mobile telecom services in Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, and data services in Western Europe. In the Netherlands, KPN is market leader in key segments of the telecommunications market. With E-Plus in Germany and BASE in Belgium, KPN is the third largest supplier in these countries in the mobile phone business. |
| Description: | In the telecommunications industry, companies are executing voice and data communications services over fixed lines and a mobile infrastructure. The industry is divided into three subsectors.
The fixed telephony sub-sector includes companies that traditionally deal with traditional telephony services over fixed networks. Often these are former state monopolies. They are in possession of the 'local loop', access to the living room. This ensures a stable cash flow. In many cases, this cash is used for funding operations in mobile telephony and data communications. Additional growth is generated by newer services, data, ICT services and television.
In the mobile telephony sub-sector companies that focus only on mobile telephony are operating. These companies have large investments in order to be able to implement new mobile technologies. This subsector is quite young and always strives to make faster connections, eg via UMTS.
The data communications subsector includes the U.S. long distance telephone companies and alternative carriers, focusing on the need for broadband communication in businesses. These companies have extensive fiber networks. Again, substantial investments are committed. The debt is high and some significant losses are made. |
