High-speed cable Internet provider @Home Network today announced an agreement
to form @Home Netherlands, a joint venture with Dutch cable operators CasTel and Palet Kabelcom.
The new service will be made available in the Netherlands and in the Flemish-speaking parts of Belgium. The agreement’s terms name @Home as the distributor of CasTel and Palet’s subscriber service to 1.4 million households or 20% percent of Dutch households.
According to the company, approximately 10% of Dutch households are connected to the Internet, one of the highest rates among countries outside the United States.
@Home said additional unnamed cable operators in the Netherlands may
be leveraged as part of the newly-created network, becoming equity
shareholders or distributors pending Board approval.
The Netherlands operation will offer broadband content features including CD-quality audio, news, video on demand, high-speed games, and software downloads at faster speeds than normally available in the country, according to @Home.
“With increasing consumer demand, high disposable income and high
usage based telephone charges for dial-up access, Europe is a promising
market for high-speed cable Internet services,” said Tom Jermoluk,
chairman and CEO of @Home Network. “Working with @Home Network, Palet and CasTel are transforming the way European customers view and use the Internet.”
