Nearly €4bn was invested in developing the Netherlands’ internet infrastructure last year – the equivalent of €525 per household, according to new research.

The report on the state of the Dutch information technology sector was published by the Dutch IT company association Nederland ICT which represents some 550 companies. The organisation claims this is the first time such research has been carried out.

The report says more than 96% of Dutch households now have access to fast broadband internet and nine out of 10 have a subscription to such a service.

Smartphones

At the beginning of this year, there were 10.4 million smartphones and 790,000 laptops and tables using the Dutch mobile network, a rise of 6% on January 2013. The Netherlands has a population of almost 17 million.

A further nine million mobile phones were also in use. In addition, 1.3 million other pieces of apparatus use the mobile internet system, such as satnavs, cars and smart energy meters.

The volume of mobile internet data traffic is the equivalent of 12 MB a day per smartphone, an increase of 61% on the previous year, the report says. Preliminary figures indicate a further rise of 56% by September this year.