We give you a guide to telephone, internet and digital television services in the Netherlands as well as a brief overview of Postal services.

Telephones

Most homes are already wired for telephones, so it is simply a matter of choice. In February of 2006, a court decision forced the main telephone company, KPN, to give up their monopoly on home installations. Since that time, a huge range of possibilities have opened up with most companies offering a variety of combinations of telephone, internet and digital television packages. Most charge a connection fee and thereafter either monthly or bi-monthly bills for basic use and individual calls.

The range of deals available makes it worth it to shop around. Some of the main providers are listed below.

Public telephone boxes from KPN are green, with more modern versions on silver-coloured poles with green phones. They are marked with the sign KPN Telecom. Other systems, such as Telfort, may operate within main train stations. Phone cards are not interchangeable between systems.

All have been now been changed over to take phone cards (available at post offices, news agents and tobacconists), although in airports and train stations it can still be possible to find one that is coin-operated. Many take credit cards, but there are heavy surcharges.

Telephone books

The Dutch White Pages are the Telefoongids and the Yellow Pages are the Gouden Gids. Names are listed in alphabetical order. However, if the last name begins with a de, van, van der, etc. you must look under the name that follows these articles. IJ is read as a "y" and comes at the end of the alphabet, not with the 'i'.

White Pages: www.detelefoongids.nl (Dutch)
Yellow Pages: www.goudengids.nl (English section)

Directory Assistance
Companies and individuals inside the Netherlands:
1888 (EUR 1.30 per call)
1850 (EUR 1.30 per call)

Numbers outside the Netherlands:
0900 8418 (EUR 0.90 per call, English option)

0800 numbers are free, 0900 numbers are charged a per minute or per call rate.

Internet

There are a number of ways to connect to the Internet. You can use your existing phone line and a modem, or jump in on the array of combination packages on the market that can include telephone, ADSL, broadband, cable, ISDN, WiFi and Television packages. See each of the company’s websites for current combination packages.

Main communications companies:

@Home (internet, ADSL, telephone, television)
0900 0730 (local tariff, operator menu option 1)
www.home.nl (Dutch)

Casema (telephone, internet, digital television)
0900 8896 (EUR 0.10 p/m, menu option 5)
www.casema.nl (Dutch)

Chello/UPC (broadband, digital TV, ADSL and Telephone)
0800 1872 (freephone, when recording stops, enter post code)
www.upc.nl (Dutch)

Het Net (internet, ADSL in combination with KPN)
www.hetnet.nl (Dutch)

KPN Telecom (telephone, internet, wireless digital TV)
0900 0244 (EUR 0.01 p/m, menu option 1, then 4 for operator)
www.kpn.com (Dutch)

Multikabel (digital telephone, internet, and television)
0900 685 8452 (EUR 0.01 p/m, menu option 1)
www.multikabel.nl (Dutch)

Planet Internet (internet, ADSL, TV, movies, in combination with KPN)
0900 1905 (EUR 0.01 p/m)
www.planet.nl (Dutch)

Scarlet One (telephone, internet)
0900 235 1650 (local tariff, menu option 3 for operator)
www.scarlet.nl (Dutch)

Tiscali (internet, ADSL, telephone)
0900 999 0900 (EUR 0.30 p/m, menu option 1)
www.tiscali.nl (Dutch)

Tele2 (telephone, internet, ADSL, digital television)
0800 1602 (freephone, menu option 5)
www.tele2.nl (Dutch)

xs4all (internet, ADSL)
020 398 7656 (menu option 1)
www.xs4all.nl (English section)

Television

In general, the Dutch public and commercial stations (Ned 1, 2, 3, Talpa/Tien, TMF, RTL 4, RTL 5, RTL 7, Net 5, SBS 6, and Veronica) and Belgian stations (Ketnet/Canvas and EEN) do not dub either films or programmes, but show them in original language with subtitles. The exception to this is programmes for the very young (like Sesame Street) and cartoons. Local stations, like AT5 in Amsterdam and Radio Televisie Noord Holland, are exclusively in Dutch.

The German (ARD, ZDF, WDR, Nord3, West 3) stations, Italian (Rai Uno), Swiss (TV5) and French/German (Arte) mostly dub everything, but sometimes offer stereo viewers the opportunity to choose language.

On the standard cable systems in most areas you can also find the following English-language stations: BBC1, BBC2, BBC World, BBC Choice, the Comedy Channel (sometimes in Dutch), National Geographic, Discovery Channel, CNN, Fox News, MTV and CNBC. There is also a wide range of digital and broadband possibilities (see lists above and below). Some of the channels (Canal+, Cartoon Network, Film1, etc) cannot be received without a special decoder box, which must be purchased and has a monthly fee.

Specialised Television/cable providers (not listed above)

CanalDigitaal Nederland BV
0900 9327 (EUR 0.20 p/m, menu option 3)
www.canaldigitaal.nl (Dutch)

Film 1
(available through most ISP/TV providers)
www.alleenopeen.tv (Dutch)

Video and DVDs

The Netherlands uses European PAL system videocassettes different to the NTSC system used in North America and the two systems are not compatible unless using a dual system player. All DVDs have a "region code" on them. Each continent has its own code and in Europe it’s 2. To be sure that your DVDs from other countries play on your DVD player, it should be marked "region free" or “all regions”. The Dutch do not normally dub videos or DVDs, except in the case of some children's films. Watch out for the words "Nederland’s gesproken" for dubbed versions.

Post offices

Post offices are marked with an orange sign that says postkantoor or TNT Post. In some villages and neighbourhoods there are small post offices inside shops, newsagents or tobacconists (postagentschap).

Stamps can be bought in all of the above places and in some of the larger supermarkets. Post-boxes are red and are scattered throughout shopping areas and neighbourhoods. On the post-box there are two slots: the left is for delivery within the city limits (streekpost), the right (overige bestemmingen) is for post delivered outside the city.

Note: for mail outside of the Netherlands you have a choice of Priority or Standard Post. Rates for Priority service are slightly higher, as it is a quicker service. There is also a guaranteed next day delivery inside the Netherlands called Garantiepost.

Some examples of current rates for letter post up to 20 grams for 2006: inside of the Netherlands - EUR 0.44; inside of Europe Priority - EUR 0,72; inside of Europe Standard - EUR 0.67; outside of Europe (always Priority) - EUR 0.89, guaranteed next day delivery (up to 1 kilo), EUR 8.45.

TNT Post Client Service (National)
058 233 3333 (menu option 2)
www.tntpost.nl (Dutch)

Delivery time within Europe:
Standard Post: 5-7 working days
Priority Post: 3-5 working days

Delivery time outside Europe:
Standard Post: 12 working days
Priority Post: 4-6 working days

12 June 2007

[Copyright Expatica 2007]

Subject: Setting up an internet and phone connection in Holland