Fiber optic key to maintaining top position in Dutch data centers

The Netherlands is one of the most important data center countries in the world, but for how long? Andrew van der Haar, managing director at the Fiber Carrier Association, explains during the IT Infra & Telecom Infra event how the Netherlands can maintain and even improve its competitive position. Fiber optic plays a crucial role in this.

Van der Haar: “As a country, we have become big in the data center world because we had our digital infrastructure in order at an early stage, both at a national and international level. DSL was introduced throughout the country as early as the 1990s. This formed the basis of our current digital network. TV and telephone cables were also quickly made suitable for the Internet and internationally we connected via sea cables to transmit data.

Spread out bed

“Of course we have our geographical location, but that is not the only explanation for the IT success of the Netherlands,” Van der Haar continues. “Many startup tech companies recognized the importance of digitalization early on and invested heavily in IT and telecom infrastructure. In addition, the Netherlands has a favorable investment climate from an international perspective and a relatively large number of highly educated people. Multinationals ended up in a staggered position. The network was already there, there was sufficient qualified staff and from a tax perspective the Netherlands is very interesting for investors.”

Competition lurking

So the IT and telecom industry is doing well, but there is no time to rest on our laurels. Competition is lurking. Our neighboring countries in particular are investing heavily in the industry. To ensure that we maintain our international top position, Van der Haar advocates a coordinating role from the government regarding fiber optic. “There are more than seventy fiber optic parties active in the Netherlands that often work alongside and alongside each other. Many companies are geographically active and this regularly leads to miscommunication. For example, double fiber optic cables are laid in an area, because parties do not know what each other is doing. You can prevent this by working better together. Not only with but also between governments at local, regional and national level,” says Van der Haar.

Good start

In addition to better cooperation and coordination, the quality of the networks themselves must also be critically examined. “Traditional network cables cannot handle the enormous amounts of data we send and receive today in the long term. That is why it is very important that we switch to fiber optic,” explains Van der Haar. “More than half of Dutch households currently have fiber optic. Of the approximately 8 million connections, 4.7 million have fiber optic in the meter cupboard and 2.4 million have a subscription. That's a good start, but it's not enough.”

Van der Haar believes that the government and the business community should continue to speed up the replacement of outdated cables. Management is also an important factor here. “Fiber optics requires less management than copper, for example, because glass basically lasts 'forever'. In addition, it consumes less power, which is very important these days. But the construction does not always go smoothly. There are always unexpected external factors that can throw a spanner in the works. For example: the construction of a new housing estate, archaeological excavations, contaminated soil or long permit processes.”

“A lot has changed in the management of the networks,” says Van der Haar. “Previously, most companies worked with a 'beep system'. In other words, administrators only took action after a cable broke and someone started beeping. Today, most companies use a management control system that sends light signals through the cable and takes measurements. If an abnormal value is received, the repairman will take a preventative look to see what is going on. The user does not notice this at all. This is also easier with fiber optic than with traditional cable networks, so that is yet another reason to choose fiber optic.”

Switch now

Thanks to our good infrastructure, Dutch people can enjoy numerous digital services. Whether at work or at home via a streaming service or game. All these services ultimately come from a data center. According to Van der Haar, the interplay between fiber optic operators and data centers is crucial. “Data centers do not always take this into account sufficiently, because they do not see the immediate necessity. You have to look at the digital infrastructure as a whole for the future. Good interconnects are vital. If we still want to be a top player in the digital new economy in five years' time, we must switch to fiber optic now so that we are ahead of the competition.”  

Help instead of hinder

Van der Haar wants during his presentation at the IT infrastructure and Telecom Infra event to provide insight into the problems that data centers encounter in practice and provide practical tools for solutions. “Collaboration with the government is essential, but not always easy because we deal with multiple ministries and lower authorities. On matters relating to legislation and regulations, we are in discussions with, among others, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. We are currently busy with the file to get new sea cables to the Netherlands. We continue to emphasize the importance of high-quality connections and investments in IT and telecom infrastructures. The Netherlands must remain attractive to international companies and that is only possible if our infrastructure up to date and up and running and if our ecosystem is strong. We can only achieve this if the entire digital infrastructure sector and the government join forces and help each other instead of against each other.”

Organic collaboration

But there is also good news, Van der Haar continues. “Due to the geographical spread and focus on certain customer segments, data centers or fiber optic networks generally do not hinder each other and there is already a lot of collaboration. For example, to connect to a fiber optic network in an adjacent region. Or think of data centers from different regions that share one for customers twin data center have a concept”.

However, according to Van der Haar, the popularity of the Netherlands as a data center country also has a downside. “The location is very important when choosing a data center. It is becoming increasingly common for data centers to open branches at multiple locations in the country and then suddenly find themselves in the waters of a competitor. That in itself is not a problem, because competition is good for the market, but it should not stand in the way of cooperation. Negative public opinion also plays a role. The media often talks about energy consumption for services that consumers use themselves from data centers. Or reports appear about the construction of fiber optic networks with double connections for consumers. That gives a negative image of the industry and that is unjustified. I therefore advocate organic collaboration between companies: each focuses on its own discipline so that we can strengthen our international competitive position together.”

Attend presentation

Visit Andrew van der Haar's presentation during the IT Infra & Telecom Infra event on December 1 at Congrescentrusssm 1931 in Den Bosch. Entrance is free, but you must register in advance register via this link.