Frequently Asked Questions

What is KPN’s strategy?
The strategy

What is KPN’s mission?
The mission

Who sits on the Board of Management?
E. Blok is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
C.M.S. Smits-Nusteling, Member of the Board of Management.
J.B.P. Coopmans, Member of the Board of Management.
T. Dirks, Member of the Board of Management.
More information about the members of the Board of Management.

What kind of organizational structure does KPN have?
Organizational structure

Where is KPN’s head office?
At The Hague, in the Netherlands.

In which countries does KPN principally operate?
KPN provides telecommunications services in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, its three core countries. We also operate in other countries through divisions like Eurorings.

How many employees does KPN have?
At 31 December 2011, the KPN workforce consisted of 31.084 FTEs.

Does KPN have a corporate brochure?
No. KPN publishes its corporate information on its Internet website.

Does KPN have a Sustainability Report?
Yes. KPN has been publishing a written report on its policy and activities concerning corporate social responsibility since 2003. The sustainability report shows what we are doing in economic, altruistic, ecological and social spheres in the Netherlands (KPN and Getronics), Germany (E-Plus), Belgium (BASE) and with other subsidiaries. At the end of 2007 our corporate responsibility activities were given an impulse when we formulated a new policy for corporate social responsibility. The CSR policy is based on three themes that are ideally suited to KPN and in which KPN can make a difference: People connected, The New World of Work, Responsible energy use.
Sustainability Report 2010. (only available on the website).

Does KPN have an environmental policy?
Yes, in 2001 KPN published an environmental report on its activities in the Netherlands. KPN revised its environmental policy at year-end 2004. The policy we adopted sets our course for the coming years. We shifted our focus in 2005 from developing policy to carrying it out. Our policy covers all facets of KPN's operations and sets concrete targets for each part of the group. The environmental policy embraces not only KPN, but also our international subsidiaries E-Plus and BASE.

You can find our reporting on our environmental policy in the Sustainability Report. (only available on the website)

What is KPN’s policy on sponsorship?
KPN connects people. We have been connecting people for over 125 years by offering products and services that put people in touch with each other. Our sponsorship policy serves to reinforce this. When we sponsor an activity it is always aimed at making contact possible. With effect from the summer of 2010, KPN will be the new main sponsor of the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Schaatsenrijders Bond (Royal Netherlands Ice Skaters’ Association - KNSB).

Sponsorship requests for social projects have to dovetail with one of our three pillars:

> People connected: improving social contact
> The New World of Work: solving commuter-related mobility problems
> Responsible energy use: saving and greening energy

Sponsorship requests can be submitted by e-mail to Corporate Communications. When making a sponsorship request, please give a short description of the project concerned, outline the relationship with one of the pillars of KPN and state why you chose KPN.

What does KPN’s diversity policy mean?
KPN started developing its diversity policy in 2009. This policy is one of the ways that will help KPN to be a company for which talented people are keen to work and be successful. Women are the largest target group, so our diversity policy focuses initially on a more even distribution of women and men. In addition, the policy is oriented to people with a handicap, people with a different sexual inclination, and people of a different cultural background.

Does KPN have a code of ethics?
Yes. KPN has a code of ethics. The code ensures that everybody has the same picture of what is and is not permissible at KPN, what must and must not be done, and what is acceptable and unacceptable.

The KPN company code is a living document, so it will never be "finished".

Which brands does KPN have?
KPN has a multibrand strategy, with different brands focused on different target groups. The brands KPN has for mobile communication are Hi, Simyo, Telfort and KPN. Our brand in Germany is E-Plus and in Belgium it's BASE. We serve the Internet market with KPN, Telfort and XS4ALL.

What is KPN’s slogan?
Our company slogan is ‘KPN, sluit je aan’. KPN wants to be a company that makes new communication developments accessible to everybody in the Netherlands. KPN connects people, people connect to KPN. This is how KPN wants to take new roads, while retaining the trust customers place in the company.

Does KPN publish the telephone directory?
No. A company called De Telefoongids BV publishes the telephone directory. It is an independent company created out of KPN’s sale of TeleMedia in spring 2003.

Where can I get the new telephone directory?
You can order a new telephone directory from De Telefoongids BV.

When was KPN incorporated?
KPN was incorporated in 1989 and became a blue-blooded company called Royal PTT Nederland NV.
While the State still held all shares in the company, KPN was responsible for the way it conducted business.

When was KPN first listed on the stock exchange?
KPN was floated on the stock exchange in June 1994. The first tranche of shares was sold on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, followed by a second tranche and a listing in New York in October 1995. Listings in London and Frankfurt followed in 1996. On April 4, 2008, KPN delisted its ADRs from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and on April 24, 2008, KPN delisted its ordinary shares from the London Stock Exchange. Furthermore, KPN delisted from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as of 14 August 2008.

Who is generally believed to have invented the telephone in 1876?
Alexander Graham Bell. He applied for a patent in 1876 for the invention of an electrical speaking apparatus that he called the telephone. In 1877, the "Scientific American" published an article about Bell's new telephone.

When did the first telephone exchange go into service?
The first telephone exchange in the Netherlands went into service in Amsterdam in 1881.

When did Dutch telephone numbers become 10-digit numbers?
A nationwide renumbering operation took place on October 10, 1995, when all telephone numbers were changed to 10 digits. This huge renumbering operation was given the name "Operation Decibel".

When did KPN start offering digital TV?
In 2005.

When was the mobile phone introduced?
The mobile phone made its entry in 1990. Four years later, a new mobile network called GSM went into service.

Does KPN currently have vacancies?
KPN is always on the lookout for talented employees. Our website contains full information about careers at KPN. It includes information for highly educated young people looking for their first job, plus vacancies for people who already have some work experience.

Does KPN cooperate in research assignments?
When KPN receives requests of this kind, it examines from case to case whether it can cooperate in the assignment. It depends on the relevance of the subject, strategic choices and so on.

Can I send an open application to KPN?
You can send an open application to the general e-mailaddress.
Read more here about open applications.