In 2014 the Ziggo hybrid fiber-coaxial cable network (a broadband network that combines optical fiber and coaxial cable) passed 7.140 million homes in the Netherlands. In 2020 it consisted of 40,350 km (25,072 mi) of fiber-optic cables that transported 97% of the total data volume in the network. The final 3%, averaging the last 300 m (328 yd) from the neighborhood's hubsite optical node to the final customer connection, are transported by 412,600 km (256,378 mi) of coaxial cables.
The national main fiber network. This is a ring network with 2 national data centers and the fiber-optic segment trunk backbone.
Regional Center (RC) The RC is a coupling point between the national main fiber network and a regional fiber network (also a ring network). There are 66 RCs.
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Local Center (LC) The LC is the coupling point between the regional fiber network and the local fiber network. There are 600 LCs.
District Center (DC) The District or Neighborhood Center is a tapping point of the local fiber network and contains the two-way fiber to coaxial conversion hardware to the Group Amplifier (GA) (Caxial Group Amplifier). Ziggo manages 12,000 GAs as coaxial segment trunks.
Each GA feeds a small number of Power Amplifiers (PA) (Coaxial Power Amplifiers). Ziggo manages 70,000 PAs.
Behind the PAs we find the Multitap in streets and larger buildings, which distributes the signal from the PA to a group of Subscriber Takeover Points (STP) final customer connection points. A PA and a multitap are often combined in a street cabinet. Ziggo manages approximately 7,300,000 STPs.
Technology
DVB-C
The digital television signal is transmitted in the Digital Video Broadcasting-Cable (DVB-C) standard in 256-QAM modulation mode. According to measurements the bit rates of the offered digital television channels vary, and many television channels have a variable bit rate (VBR). The high-definition channels are encoded in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and most standard-definition channels are encoded in MPEG-4. Only a part of the free-to-cable standard-definition channels are still encoded in MPEG-2. Customers can buy or rent a certified set-top box or Integrated Digital Television with embedded CA. Additionally customers can buy any television or set-top box with a DVB-C tuner for the free-to-cable basic subscription and optionally included by CI+ support with a Ziggo compatible conditional-access module for supplemental packages. As of 2015, Ziggo uses both the Nagravision and Irdeto conditional access system.
Cable television via DVB-C is a service with which Ziggo can distinguish itself, as DVB-C linear television distribution is not available in Ziggy's service area from competing all-fiber-optics providers, who opted for Internet Protocol television (IPTV) instead of DVB-C. Despite this, the phasing out and end of DVB-C is inevitable, due to Ziggo's intended future switch to more capable DOCSIS 4 cable internet technology.
2024 partial DVB-C shutdown
Ziggo opted to start the phasing out of DVB-C cautiously. In July 2024 the DVB-C television distribution of the Hindi, Turkish, Arabic and Gay Lifestyle subscription packages ended. In June 2024 Ziggo offered these subscribers to switch to their Next Mini 4K rent decoder to continue watching these packages, if their decoding hardware is unsuitable for IPTV-only content delivery. Ziggo stated there is no plan yet to make more television channels IPTV-only after this partial DVB-C shutdown.
IPTV
In 2022 Internet Protocol television (IPTV) was introduced by Ziggo for delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. For this the Next Mini decoder was introduced as standard television receiver for customers that also have an internet subscription. This IPTV-only television decoder is similar to the Liberty Global Mini TV Box and makes all television content visible via IPTV. The Next Mini is connected with the Ziggo network via Ethernet wiring or wireless via Wi-Fi. The number of television channels and other IP-stream content that can be viewed with IPTV hardware over a coax cable or fibre-optic cable based high-speed internet connection within a household is virtually unlimited. Practically, the provider determines which television channels and other content IP-streams are forwarded or not. Speculation is circulating on the internet that Ziggo introduced IPTV to make it easier for customers of competing combined high-speed internet and IPTV services providers, to switch to Ziggo or that DVB-C will be switched off in the future. As of 2024, new Ziggo television customers will always receive a Next Mini IPTV-only television decoder and Ziggo introduced their first IPTV-only channels.
Television viewers with a high-speed internet connection can opt to no longer use their provider's loan decoder, but an app for the online platform. To view television content, a Ziggo TV App is available for customers that poses Apple TV or Android TV mediaplayers or Amazon Fire TV Sticks.
In 2023 speculations appeared that Ziggo might be preparing to transfer the distribution of television content to IPTV at an unknown moment in the future. For viewers who do not like additional IPTV hardware devices and remote controls, apps for smart television platforms are under development. In June 2024 the apps for post 2019 Samsung Smart TVs with the Tizen operating system and LG smart TVs with the WebOS 5.0 or higher operating system were released.
The development and implementation of online and smart TV platform apps could nix the additional hardware for customers that (can) use their internet subscription to view television content and can promote a future transition from DVB-C to IPTV.
Previously, Ziggo also offered an analogue television signal. Between 2018 and 2021, it gradually phased out the analogue signal.
Radio signal
The digital radio signal is transmitted in the DVB-C standard. For digital radio a 2-channel (stereo) MPEG-1 Audio Layer II encoded digital audio broadcasting signal at 48 kHz audio sampling rate is used. According to measurements the bit rates of the offered digital radio channels vary, and some radio channels have a variable bit rate (VBR). The used lossy audio format is designed to provide high quality at about 192 kbit/s and higher bit rates for stereo sound signals.
A company spokesperson stated Ziggo passes the digital radio stations to its end users as provided by the radio channels and does not re-encode, change or edit these digital signals to avoid quality reduction.
In May 2024 Ziggo introduced 2-channel (stereo) Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) at 160 kbit/s encoded digital radio transmissions on a limited scale. Compared to MPEG-1 Audio Layer II, the AAC audio coding format requires less bandwidth to achieve the same sound quality. Disadvantages of using AAC are its non-open and free format, and it is not supported by some (older and cheaper) receiving devices.
Previously, Ziggo also offered an analogue radio signal. Between February 2021 and March 2022 the analogue FM cable radio signal was gradually phased out.
According to TVTotaal the analogue FM cable radio service was terminated because due to competitive pressure Ziggo needed the bandwidth to increase the upload speed of the internet service. According to VodafoneZiggo; "The freed-up bandwidth allows us to offer even more television and internet services, such as increasing image quality and adding apps." and "We continue to innovate and look ahead, so that our GigaNet (internet service) grows with the needs of our customers. The complete switch to digital radio is a crucial part of that."
For customers who are not able to receive the digital radio signal, Ziggo up to 29 May 2022 offered a digital radio receiver for €50 as an alternative for analogue FM cable radio reception equipment.
Technology
Hybrid fiber-coaxial DOCSIS data transfer
Ziggo offers cable broadband internet subscriptions, and their hybrid fiber-coaxial (fiber-to-the-neighborhood [FTTN]) network passed 7.3733 million of the about 8.1 million Dutch homes in 2022. For internet, Ziggo used and uses various versions of Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) technology. DOCSIS is used by many cable television operators to provide cable internet access over hybrid fiber-coaxial infrastructure. As Ziggo is a European operator, the used DOCSIS standards earlier than DOCSIS 3.1 were modified for use in Europe (EuroDOCSIS). As of December 2017, Ziggo had 3.240 million Internet access subscribers and 3,328 million subscribers in December 2022, which means that 45.1% of the homes passed paid Ziggo for internet access.
On 10 October 2019 Ziggo started the deployment of DOCSIS 3.1 in limited regions. This upgrade to DOCSIS 3.1 enabled download speeds up to 1 Gbit/s and is marketed as GigaNet. Since then EuroDOCSIS 3.1 was rolled out widely to offer asymmetric Internet access with asymmetric upload speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s. Ziggo completed the DOCSIS 3.1 roll-out operation in December 2022. At the same time, the company announced it is preparing for DOCSIS 4.0 (previously branded as DOCSIS 3.1 Full Duplex) tests in early 2023. Besides increased download speeds, DOCSIS 3.1 and especially DOCSIS 4.0 also technically enable significant increases in upload speeds. In 2022 Ziggo introduced the Sagemcom F3896LG-ZG/F@st 3896 DOCSIS 3.1 Full Duplex capable modem featuring a 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet port that can deliver up to 5 Gbit/s download and 2 Gbit/s upload speeds.
Internal DOCSIS 4.0 testing
In May 2023 the first press releases emerged regarding an internal DOCSIS 4.0 test by Ziggo at their VodafoneZiggo TEC Campus in Amsterdam. The commencement of testing this DOCSIS technology version was announced in 2022. The first deployment of DOCSIS 4.0 in limited regions is not expected before 2024 or 2025, assuming by then sufficient DOCSIS 4.0 capable modems and other network components are available. Ziggo expects to start DOCSIS 4 field tests in 2024 and gradually achieve an asymmetric download speed of 5 Gbit/s in the further future.
It is not highly likely Ziggo will quickly roll out DOCSIS 4 over their full service area, as the coaxial segment frequency spectrum used increases from 1 to 1.2 GHz for Full Duplex (FDX) DOCSIS 4 or to 1.8 GHz for Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD). For that, Ziggo must disable linear television distribution via DVB-C. The probably bigger challenge for delivering multi-gigabyte symmetrical internet speeds with DOCSIS 4 is the technical condition of the coaxial network. In large parts of the service area, the coaxial cables used between the street cabinets and the approximately 7,300,000 Subscriber Takeover Points (STP) final customer connection points are decades old. In some areas, these old cables have exceeded their maximum lifespan specifications. This has consequences for the services provided in the future. Coaxial cables that are no longer in optimal condition suffer from rapidly increasing attenuation above ~1 GHz. In October 2023 the first commercial DOCSIS 4 launch of an upgraded hybrid fiber-coaxial 1.2 GHz Full Duplex (FDX) network, offering symmetrical speeds up to 2 Gbit/s, was by Comcast/Xfinity in a selected area in the United States.
Small-scale introduction of fiber-to-the-home (FFTH) connections
Until early 2024, VodafoneZiggo has been reluctant to invest in upgrading the hybrid fiber-coaxial (fiber-to-the-neighborhood [FFTN]) network to a pure fiber-to-the-home (FFTH) network. Investing in DOCSIS 4.0 and possibly later DOCSIS upgrades costs less than going all-fiber-optics for the entire network. As in the early 2020s about 10% of Ziggo's total network length uses fiber-optical cables instead of coaxial cables, going all-fiber-optics will be a strategic investment to maintain sufficient ISP market share which seems to be postponed for the time being.
In September 2023 the CEO of VodafoneZiggo co-owner Liberty Global said the company "feels good about DOCSIS 3.1 and 4.0" but added that it has options in the competitive Dutch market. Large corporate customers can be provided with all-fiber-optics to their business buildings by Ziggo.
Only on a small project scale, Ziggo offers fiber-to-the-home (FFTH) connections since 2021. These FTTH connections are based on a radio frequency over glass (RFoG) deep-fiber network design in which the coaxial portion of the hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network is replaced by a single-fiber passive optical network (PON). In the projects where Ziggo opts to extend the fiber-to-the-neighborhood (FFTN) into the customer's (new-build) home, significant additional construction costs like earthwork are avoided and a RFoG fiber to coax converter is still present. This ensures customers can continue to use their existing equipment. One can expect FTTH connections at larger post 2021 construction locations, with more than a hundred completely new homes to be built. The FFTH offered asymmetric internet services by Ziggo are identical to their non-FFTH asymmetric offerings.
Introduction of fiber-to-the-home (FFTH) connections on a municipal controlled network
In November 2023 Ziggo announced their approach for a planned switch from hybrid fiber-coaxial to a FFTH signal supply for the municipal cable network of Edam-Volendam, whilst holding on by RFoG signal converters at the Subscriber Takeover Points (STP) to DOCSIS and DVB-C technology. As of 2024 this municipal controlled all-fiber-optics FFTH network replaces the hybrid fiber-coaxial network, that eventually will be switched off. Multiple providers including KPN, Odido and Ziggo will mutually compete with their services on the new open network. Ziggo by exception will be offering symmetric up- and download speeds on this municipal network.
Joint venture with a commercial controlled fiber-to-the-home (FFTH) provider
In June 2025 Ziggo and fiber optics broadcast and internet services provider Delta announced a joint venture. In 2026 Ziggo will start to provide their broadcast and internet services on a non-local external commercial controlled fiber optics network. However, the networks of these providerw have no significant served areas overlap.
Customers and business performance
At the end of 2020, the company provided at least one service to more than 3,836,300 households: 3,831,300 households with television, 3,363,500 households with an internet connection and 2,272,800 households with telephony. It then had 5,189,800 mobile subscribers (4,757,100 postpaid and 432,700 prepaid). In 2023, there were about 8,300,000 households in the Netherlands.
To prevent a further decline in the fixed coverage ratio (46.2% at the end of the first quarter of 2024), Ziggo's business challenge is the price policy of their subscription offerings. Competing all-fiber-optics providers do provide faster internet for the same or sometimes a lower price. With DVB-C and a better television platform, Ziggo remains ahead of its competitors with linear television content. However, the media consumption of the Dutch households is changing so quickly towards online that this advantage is losing relevance.
