According to the Dutch government, the internet now qualifies as a basic need. Long gone are the days of internet as a luxury. Our current society is media savvy; we rely heavily on wifi.

With a knack for apps, we use our phones on the move to message each other, entertain ourselves, check train timetables, and get around using our mobile’s built-in GPS.

Companies are also using wireless internet to facilitate the smooth transaction of goods and services. Many already use contactless payments in stores, and crucial businesses like airports and ports use automated controls to scan and move suitcases and containers.

Netherlands ranks global leader in mobile internet

According to the government, the Netherlands is the only European country in the top 10 world ranking for the best coverage and speed of mobile internet (4G). Research conducted by the European Commission concluded that 4G accounted for 99 percent of the country’s entire coverage.

The Rate Policy Report 2016

According to Minister Henk Kamp of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Het Ministerie van Economische Zaken), the economy will stagnate if we do not have high-speed wireless technology to keep up with consumer and business demands in the near future. Network providers are already showing signs of not being able to cope.

For this reason, the government has decided to ensure more efficient use of wireless frequencies are made available to meet the increasing needs of wireless communication in years to come. The Ministry of Economic Affairs may even decide to allocate additional frequencies or allow frequency sharing for particular company specific applications.

The policy report provides a basis for a predictable and transparent price plan for potential suppliers and buyers of frequencies over the next five to 10 years.

New licenses in Spring 2017

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has set new objectives and conditions for a new network licence in the field of mobile communication. This will allow network providers to start planning ahead, for example, in making sure they launch 5G in a timely manner with consumer needs.

What the future holds

In the province of Groningen, experiments using 5G technology are already taking place. With a reputation to uphold and plans of new technologies already set for 2020, such as having our packages be delivered by drones, it’s no surprise that the government is taking this issue seriously.

Get ahead

If you’ve just arrived in the Netherlands, it’s likely you need to get going and set up that connection. Check out the internet survival kit, and for other utilities, here’s another guide.