KPN Group in 2012

Review of the year 2012

  • 2011

    The last twelve months at KPN, from the strategy update in January to the acquisition of frequencies in December.

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  • January

    To have more direct and efficient control over its operational activities, KPN introduces a new top structure including an Executive Committee, under the final responsibility of the Board of Management.

    KPN presents its strategic update, with a focus on stabilizing domestic market positions and does not announce a share buy back program.

    A hacker obtains access to servers on the KPN network. KPN immediately takes steps and informs all relevant authorities.

    In Amsterdam IJburg and Nunspeet KPN introduces high-speed internet via fiber broadband with speeds of up to 500 Mb per second.

    women show content on an iPad to older man
  • February

    Using the headline “Two million apologies”, KPN publishes an advertisement in the daily papers to apologize for inconvenience caused by the hack in January. KPN asks all e-mail customers to change their passwords as a precautionary measure.

  • March

    Young people’s brand Hi, introduces a new series of subscriptions centered around mobile internet, with options for voice calls and text messages.

    KPN sets up a Security Operations Center. This measure is just one of the ways in which KPN aims to prevent security incidents such as that in January.

    two young children viewing content on an iPad
  • April

    The NMa approves the acquisition of fiber service provider Lijbrandt and Reggefiber Wholesale. This results in more efficiency and a clearer division of roles: KPN provides the fiber services, whereas Reggefiber can completely focus on the fiber network roll-out.

    E-Plus introduces a value for money data proposition under the new brand name Yourfone. Following its multi-brand strategy, similar propositions are introduced for Simyo and Blau in the months thereafter.

  • May

    KPN closes the sale of Getronics International. The transaction is part of KPN’s proven strategy of strengthening its global delivery capabilities for major international clients through partnerships.

    First in Belgium to offer mobile services

    The Mexican company América Móvil makes a partial bid for just over 27% of KPN’s ordinary shares.

  • June

    In the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad and KPN organize the debate “Het Nieuwe Holland”, with The New Way of Living and Working as a central theme.

    At the National Privacy Debate KPN announces its Privacy Mission. The mission is part of the measures to safeguard customers’ privacy and security.

    In midsummer the KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds continues a fine tradition: the XL days. In five Dutch cities 500 KPN employees give 550 elderly people a day to remember.

    Following América Móvil’s partial bid, KPN investigates various options for creating more value, including selling E-Plus. Due to the tough conditions on the capital markets, no agreement can be reached with prospective buyers.

    family viewing content on a laptop and a women is on the telephone
  • July

    KPN introduces new commercial propositions for consumers, becoming the first mobile provider in the Netherlands to offer unlimited calls and text messages with corresponding data bundles – for a flat fee.

    KPN reduces its 2012 dividend to EUR 0.35 per share to maintain a prudent financial framework. In order to make the necessary investments in frequency licenses possible, KPN further adjusts the dividend in December to EUR 0.03 per share for 2013.

  • August

    KPN starts renewing the mobile networks in the Netherlands, making mobile telephony and internet even more stable and reliable than before. Modernizing and improving the networks is one of KPN’s ways of further improving its market position in the mobile market.

  • September

    KPN starts a free telephone helpdesk that is available 24/7 to KPN consumer and business customers.

    Eric Hageman is appointed CFO. Mr. Hageman already worked partially as interim CFO since the beginning of 2012.

    The Carbon Disclosure Project acclaims KPN as the world’s number one telecom company in terms of its climate policy. KPN is the only Dutch company that is listed on both the performance index and the disclosure index.

    After an absence of a year, KPN Group is once again listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. This means that KPN is one of the top five most sustainable telecom companies in the world.

    KPN Group Belgium introduces BASE ALL Unlimited: unlimited calls, text messages and data for a flat fee.

  • October

    KPN sells part of its Dutch mobile towers to a large operator of wireless telecommunication masts.

    In three months’ time the number of new mobile subscriptions in Germany grows by a staggering 500 thousand. Due to fierce competition, this growth does not translate to increased turnover.

    For the first time in years, the number of broadband customers grows; reasons include more fiber connections and Telfort’s good performance. This stabilizes KPN’s broadband market share.

    KPN reaches ninth place in the environmental rankings of the American weekly magazine Newsweek, making it the best performing Dutch company. The rankings chart the ecological footprint of the five hundred largest publicly quoted companies.

    The Dutch competition authority (NMa) announced the approval of the acquisition of the fiber service providers Edutel, XMS, KickXL and Concepts ICT from Reggeborgh.

    man talking on the telephone while boiling the kettle
  • November

    The number of customers taking services via the fiber network exceeds 350,000, more than three times as many as a year ago.

    KPN sells part of its German mobile towers. Among other things, the cash proceeds will be used to support the investments in the accelerated roll-out of its German mobile network.

    KPN and the labor unions reach a provisional agreement on a new collective labor agreement running from April 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013.

    To further strengthen its fixed network strategy in the Netherlands, KPN acquires an additional 10% of the shares in Reggefiber, increasing its share to 51%.

    E-Plus is ranked 3rd in network quality by Germany’s biggest computer magazine “Computerbild”, who performed an extensive network test amongst consumers.

  • December

    Thanks to the upgrade of the copper network KPN now offers two thirds of Dutch households a download speed of at least 40 Mbps.

    The huge popularity of IPTV enables KPN to reach the milestone of one million IPTV customers, taking its market share from 17% to 23% in the space of one year.

    To put the focus more strongly on its domestic markets and core activities, KPN sells the mobile subdivisions KPN Spain and Ortel Mobile Switzerland.

    During the spectrum auction a very attractive combination of frequency licenses is allocated to KPN for the Dutch mobile market for EUR 1,352 million.

  • 2013