Vodafone Netherlands

Vodafone Libertel B.V. is the second largest mobile phone company in the Netherlands, and was previously called Libertel. It is part of VodafoneZiggo, a joint venture between Liberty Global and Vodafone.

Vodafone Libertel B.V.
Subsidiary of VodafoneZiggo
IndustryTelecommunications
FoundedSeptember 1995 (as Libertel)
Headquarters
Maastricht
,
Netherlands
Key people
Jeroen Hoencamp (CEO)
ProductsMobile telephony
Wireless broadband
Owner
ParentVodafoneZiggo
Websitewww.vodafone.nl

It offers 2G GSM, 2.5G GPRS, 4G LTE on the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz frequency bands, and 5G NR services via dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) with existing bands. It previously offered UMTS, HSDPA, and HSPA+ 3G services until their shutdown in February 2020.[1]

Vodafone Netherlands currently has 5.2 million mobile customers.[2] Vodafone Netherlands currently operates one subbrand using its network called hollandsnieuwe (launched in January 2011).

As of 2008, Vodafone Netherlands is based in Maastricht and Amsterdam and has around 2,800 employees.[3]

History

Libertel was founded in September 1995 with financial backing from Nationale-Nederlanden (NN) to compete with KPN.[4] Libertel was the second company in the Netherlands to get a license for offering GSM services (after PTT Telecom).[5][6]

The corporate structure started with a holding partnership named CV Gemeenschapplijk Bezit Libertel containing three wholly owned subsidiaries: Libertel Groep BV (the holding company), Libertel BV (the cellular network operator), and Liberfone BV (the service provider).[5][7]

The six original shareholders were ING, Vodafone, Vendex, Liof, Internatio-Müller, and Macintosh Retail Group.[4][6][8] In early 1998, Vendex and Liof both sold their shares for 120 million guilders. Internatio-Müller and Macintosh each sold their shares for 48 million guilders.[8] By the end of 1998, ING lowered its share from 52% to 30%, leaving Vodafone with 70%.[8][9]

Vodafone acquisition

In June 1999, Libertel went public on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange as Libertel NV (ticker symbol: LTEL).[10][11] Following the IPO, ING retained 5% (down from 30%) while Vodafone's share of 70% remained unchanged. In 2000, Vodafone changed the brand name for Libertel to "Libertel-Vodafone".[6]

In 2002, Libertel-Vodafone was rebranded to "Vodafone" and saw major branding changes by the Vodafone Group.[4][6] Other Vodafone subsidiaries also went through a similar transition, aiming to establish the first global mobile telecommunications company with a familiar 'look and feel' throughout the world.

Vodafone Group performed a buyout in 2003 of the shares in Vodafone Libertel N.V. that it did not already own. At this time, Libertel was delisted from the Euronext Amsterdam stock market.[12][13][14] in favour of Vodafone Libertel BV Dutch subsidiary Vodafone Group's pre-existing Dutch.

On September 30, 2007, Vodafone Libertel changed its type of business entity type from NV to BV, henceforth trading as Vodafone Libertel BV.[15][16]

In 2011, the Macintosh Retail Group sold BelCompany and Telefoonkopen.nl to Vodafone Netherlands for 120 million euro.[17][18][19] By 2016, Vodafone had either closed or rebranded the BelCompany stores.[20][21]

On 3 April 2012, Vodafone Libertel acquired Telespectrum Telecommunicatie B.V.[19][22][23][24]

On 1 October 2015, Vodafone Libertel acquired mITE Systems B.V.[19][25]

Ziggo merger

A merger was announced on 16 February 2016 with Ziggo. The European Commission approved the merger in August 2016, on the condition that Vodafone splits off its fixed-line internet business.[26] The new parent company for both Ziggo and Vodafone, called VodafoneZiggo, with a 50/50 joint ownership by Liberty Global and Vodafone, was created on 31 December 2016.[27][28][29]

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References
  1. "Groei mee naar 4G" [Grow along to 4G] (in Dutch). Vodafone Netherlands. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  2. "Vodafone in talks with Liberty Global on Dutch joint venture". Reuters. 2 February 2016.
  3. "Over Vodafone". www.vodafone.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2018-06-03. gevestigd in Maastricht [..] ruim 2800 medewerkers
  4. "Het lange lijden van Libertel". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 14 January 2003. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  5. "Mobiele telefonie Libertel duikt fors onder prijzen PTT Telecom". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 21 September 1995. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  6. "Vodafone (Libertel) 15 jaar in Nederland | MobileCowboys.nl". www.mobilecowboys.nl (in Dutch). 30 September 2010. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  7. "Vodafone Group - Annual Report 1996/97" (PDF). March 31, 1997. pp. 15, 68.
  8. "Beursgang Libertel brengt ING miljarden". Trouw (in Dutch). 1 June 1999. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  9. "DEFM14A | AIRTOUCH COMMUNICATIONS INC". SEC.gov. 1999-04-22.
  10. "Form 6K | VODAFONE AIRTOUCH plc". SEC.gov. 3 September 1999.
  11. "Form 20-F SEC filing | VODAFONE AIRTOUCH plc" (PDF). June 30, 1999.
  12. TeleGeography (12 February 2003). "Vodafone seeks to up its stake in Libertel". www.telegeography.com. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  13. "Vodafone presses ahead with buyout of Libertel". The Independent. 13 February 2003. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  14. "Final results of Vodafone's offer for Vodafone Libertel: Vodafone to increase shareholding in Vodafone Libertel to 98.2%". www.vodafone.com. 9 May 2003. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  15. "Rechtbank Utrecht, SBR 11-2600" (in Dutch). 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2018-06-03. Vodafone Libertel B.V. [..] is per 30 september 2007 de rechtsopvolger van Vodafone Libertel N.V.
  16. drimble.nl. "Vodafone Libertel BV" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-06-03. Per 30-3-2007 statuten gewijzigd. Naam gewijzigd in: Vodafone Libertel B.V. (naam was voorheen Vodafone Libertel N.V.)
  17. "Macintosh verkoopt BelCompany aan Vodafone". NU.nl. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  18. "Vodafone neemt BelCompany over voor 120 miljoen euro". www.telecompaper.com (in Dutch). 22 March 2011. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  19. "Historie". VodafoneZiggo. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  20. "Vodafone gaat in vijf jaar alle BelCompany-winkels sluiten - update". Tweakers (in Dutch). 9 November 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  21. "Vodafone stopt met Belcompany-winkels". Androidworld (in Dutch). 9 November 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  22. "Telespectrum - Company Information". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-06-03. As of April 3, 2012, Telespectrum Telecommunicatie B.V. operates as a subsidiary of Vodafone Libertel
  23. "Vodafone neemt Telespectrum over". RTL Nieuws. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  24. "Vodafone neemt cloudtelefoonbedrijf TeleSpectrum over - Emerce". Emerce (in Dutch). 3 April 2012. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  25. "Hoofdkantoor mITE Systems B.V.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  26. "EC clears merger of Ziggo, Vodafone Netherlands". telecompaper. 3 August 2016.
  27. "Liberty Global and Vodafone complete Dutch joint venture, creating a fully-converged national communications operator" (PDF). VodafoneZiggo. 31 December 2016.
  28. "Liberty Global and Vodafone complete Dutch JV". markets.ft.com. Financial Times. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  29. "Liberty Global and Vodafone to merge their Dutch operations". Vodafone. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
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