Important step in digital future of the Netherlands
Utrecht, 8 maart 2018 - Ziggo will be digitalizing its complete TV offering. TV in digital quality is already being offered by Ziggo to all its customers, but not everyone takes advantage of that option. By far the biggest part of all customers already watches digital TV. Customers watching analogue cable TV will be switching over to digital in a region-by-region phased rollout during the next two years, assisted by Ziggo. In each region Ziggo will inform customers well in advance when the switch is taking place in that particular area.
"Over the years
a lot has changed in our television landscape. Black and white was replaced by
colour TV, aerials disappeared from rooftops. Nowadays, we watch TV on our
mobile and tablet in addition to the television screen. We will continue this innovation
to be ready for the future. The number of people watching analogue TV has
rapidly decreased in recent years, which is why we will discontinue the
analogue TV signal. All our customers will be provided with a television signal
in digital quality," says Jeroen Hoencamp, CEO at VodafoneZiggo.
The switch will open
doors for technologies of the future. "VodafoneZiggo wants to offer
customers the best quality and service," says Hoencamp. "Not only do
we see ourselves as the driving force of Dutch digitization, but also as the
builder of the infrastructure designed to help the Netherlands maintain its
digital lead in the future. We want to be able to offer an even more developed
'next generation network' from 2020 onwards, in which mobile and fixed
connections are more integrated than ever. Customers will no longer notice
their devices switching between fixed internet, Wi-Fi and mobile internet.
Being online, always and everywhere, through our network will be even more
stable, smarter and faster with internet speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second. And
that will be necessary, since data needs in the Netherlands are increasing
exponentially."
Phased
Robin Clements,
responsible for VodafoneZiggo's customer service: "By far the majority of our customer
base already watches digital TV. We will assist customers still watching
analogue cable TV in a step-by-step process to switch over to an entirely
digital TV signal in the coming two years. We will do this together, because we
want to help our customers and be available to everyone. That is why we will be
using additional service points on top of our existing service points during
the switchover, and also help customers at home." The switchover to
digital cable TV will be rolled out in phases and region by region. In April,
Capelle aan den IJssel and other municipalities in that area* will be the first
to be entirely equipped with a digital TV signal. Clements: "After the
switchover from analogue to digital, these customers will have a number of
additional channels, like all the regional channels and Ziggo Sport, our sports
channel for Ziggo subscribers, with sports like live Formula 1, Champions
League from September, the English and Spanish football competitions and much
more."
The switchover to
digital TV will not affect subscription costs, these will remain at the level
of the customer's current subscription.
Do the switch
In each region, Ziggo
will inform its customers well in advance when the switchover will take place
in their particular area. Ziggo customers can easily check if they are already
using a digital signal, by simply switching over to channel 14 on their
television. If they can watch Ziggo Sport there, they have digital TV. If
channel 14 is broadcasting something else, they are still watching analogue TV.
In that case, customers can find more information about switching over to
digital by visiting www.ziggo.nl/schakelmee. When it comes to radio, no changes
will take place for the foreseeable future.
*Capelle
aan den IJssel and other towns in that area (based on cable infrastructure):
Alblasserdam, Bergschenhoek, Capelle aan den IJssel, Moerkapelle, Nieuwerkerk
aan den IJssel, Zevenhuizen (ZH)