tv and internet package in holland?

Question

I've just moved to The Netherlands and I'm looking for an internet package. Some of them offer TV aswell but I already get a lot of stations on my normal TV including BBC1, MTV, CNN etc. Do I need to get a TV package? What extra stations does it give you?

Answer 1

Dutch market is a bit complicated that way. On one hand we have the cable companies that used to provide TV signal and now do internet (and even telephony as well). You don't get any choice in that matter, each company has a monopoly in an area.



On the other hand there's the traditional internet providers who are now also moving into the TV market. Most use some sort of IPTV technology, a few can also offer DVB-T (digital TV via the air).



Of those two the cable companies tend to have the best selection of TV stations, especially BBC is usually absent in the offerings of the internet companies. Internet TV may be an option if you can live with their station selection (check their websites) and if you don't live too far away from the local telephone exchange (almost all internet provided by such companies is ADSL which quickly deteriorates over distance) since you need a high speed connection for it to function properly.



DVB-T has the advantage in that the receiver is small and wireless (well, except for a mains cable) but it's coverage is still spotty at some places.



So... my advice, if you're happy with your cable company see what their internet coverage is like. Compare that with a few other vendors. Xs4all is good but expensive, kpn offers a basic ADSL package as does online.nl

Answer 2

Getting internet is pretty easy here in NL and the basic (lower speeds) costs approx €20 a month. Of course the higher the speed you want, the more money you pay for.



There are plenty of providers thus competition keeps the price low e.g KPN, Tele2, Ziggo, UPC, Telfort, Online & Alice (and maybe more even). Some are held in higher regards than others, but having tried three different providers for internet I personally much the same to be honest



However not all of them cover all areas in NL and therefore you need to check what is on offer in your area. Easiest thing is to find one of the many sites which compare all current offers for your postcode. A good one is http://www.shopdigitaletv.nl/ and you can play around with the different options & packages for tv, internet & also phone which you didn't mention.; Generally getting services with one provider works out cheaper than getting different services from different providers



If you already have BBC, MTV etc then you already have an tv connection to a provider. As your housemates or rental authority (person) with whom that connection is with because you will be paying for it as part of your rent no doubt, and there actually may be restrictions about getting a connection with other providers if the landlord has one already for the same thing (e.g. if you want tv with another provider)



There are all different packages that providers offer again for TV and the more stations, the higher the cost. When you know which providers cover your area then go to the webpages and look for "zenders" (or even easier use Google translate) and you can see what channels are included in which package



Hope this helps, but if you have questions then just shout :)

Answer 3

Try typing "broadband comparison" on Google and it'll give a few websites to compare what deals are available. You need to at least give them your post code or landline phone number as well, so they can find the packages that are available at your specific post code or phone line. I'm in the process of finding a new broadband/phone deal and I'm a bit unlucky because my phone line isn't in a cable area, so I can't get a lot of the best deals or download speeds. You might have more luck.