KPN NV, the Dutch incumbent telco, Friday dropped the charges from its internet service provider operation, Het Net. Users who have already paid for subscriptions will have their money refunded from June 25. The move is believed to be in response to the vast amount of subscription-free services launching in the Netherlands, such as Zonnet.nl, owned by rival telco Versatel NV.
Last week ISP Superweb NV launched via the Eneco NV cable network in Rotterdam, offering subscription-based net access but with toll-free dialup. This is expected to reduce heavy net users’ monthly expenditure more drastically than merely not paying for subscription, and is yet another indication of how the subscription-and-call-charge model is no longer king in Europe.
