It is wise to get a Dutch telephone number if you are going to live in the Netherlands. Even if you think that your foreign phone is sufficient, we recommend you to get a Dutch phone number. It will come in handy and is not expensive.

You have a choice between prepaid and a contract. In the Netherlands, prepaid has actually not been used for years. Subscriptions have become very cheap. From EUR 5 per month you already have a telephone contract.

Phone networks in the Netherlands

The largest telecom provider in The Netherlands is KPN. KPN has always been the biggest and it is not expected that another provider will ever become bigger than KPN. The other 2 big providers are Vodafone and T-Mobile.

Good mobile network

All three providers offer a good range to make phone calls in The Netherlands. Only in a few sparsely populated areas the connection is sometimes less good. Also, all three network providers now offer 5G.

5G network

At T-Mobile, 5G is on in large parts of the Netherlands. T-Mobile wants to provide national coverage this year (2022), but the coverage map shows many gaps.

KPN wants to have 5G nationwide next year. KPN's network map shows that 5G is currently still reserved for the Randstad area.

Vodafone indicates that 5G is now available for 80% of the population. According to its network map, the coverage in the west of the country is much better than in the east.

Telecom providers without own network

There are also providers who do not have their own network. They rent the network from KPN, T-Mobile or Vodafone. These providers buy large amounts of data, which enables them to buy it at a cheaper price. That is why the subscriptions of these providers are often cheaper than when you buy a subscription directly from KPN, Vodafone or T-Mobile.