Broadband black-outs in The Netherlands

Europe Travelogue – Greetings from Amsterdam

On my arrival here the country was still reeling from a two, and in some parts of the country, a three day national broadband blackout. KPN blamed one of its software companies for the mishaps, but the country does not want to know about that. They want KPN to take full responsibility for it, and a national investigation is taking place which will result in a total review of quality of service guarantees. This will most probably go beyond the actual reliability of the service to include the quality of the service itself. Speeds as anywhere else in the world are largely provided on a best effort basis, and this aspect of the service is now likely to be investigated as well. It is estimated that the national investigation will have far reaching consequences which will most likely have an effect on broadband services in other (European) countries: in the UK, the regulator is similarly concerned about actual broadband speeds as against advertised speeds, and in May 2008 it published a voluntary code for ISPs requiring them to provide accurate information; some 32 ISPs serving 90% of UK broadband subscribers agreed to the code.

At the same time it is a warning for other governments to investigate their vulnerability to broadband black-outs which hopefully will lead to pre-emptive measures.

It is a clear indication that finally the quality of service matters.