Rural West Betuwe and Rivierenland lead Netherlands in fiber-optic internet rollout
Residents in rural West Betuwe and Rivierenland now enjoy high-speed fiber-optic internet, transforming digital accessibility for nearly 10,400 addresses. This milestone ensures businesses and households stay connected in an increasingly digital world.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Region | West Betuwe and Rivierenland (7 municipalities) |
| Addresses connected | ~7,500 (Rivierenland) + 2,887 (West Betuwe) = ~10,387 total |
| Adoption rate | ~85% signed up, ~90% actively using |
| Completion status | ~93% realized in West Betuwe, remaining by summer 2026 |
| Project start | April 2020 |
| Challenges faced | COVID-19, nitrogen issues, permit delays, dyke closures |
| Unique aspect | Municipal collaboration due to lack of commercial interest |
The UBRivierenland Broadband Network Implementation Organization, a collaboration of seven municipalities, spearheaded this project to address the lack of commercial investment in rural fiber-optic networks. Their role includes deployment, management, and maintenance of the infrastructure, ensuring long-term digital accessibility for residents.
Openrijk is free and ad-free
Do you value our work? Help us stay online with a small contribution.
external link to whydonate.comRead the full translated article below
Fiber-optic network deployment in rural areas of West Betuwe and Rivierenland region nearly complete
On February 26, Alderman Rutger van Stappershoef (West Betuwe) presented a small gift to Fredie and Marion Van Asch (Boerengoed) in Enspijk. This marked the near completion of the fiber-optic network deployment in the rural areas of West Betuwe and the Rivierenland region.
Van Stappershoef – who is also a member of the UBRivierenland Executive Board – emphasizes the importance of this milestone. “It is remarkable and gratifying to see how the digital accessibility of the seven participating municipalities in the rural areas has improved significantly over the past few years. Where internet quality was previously questionable, the deployment of fiber-optic has completely transformed this situation. In other words, we have become frontrunners in the Netherlands, whereas we were lagging behind in the past. (See illustration at the bottom of this article.)
Overcoming obstacles
The fiber-optic project faced numerous challenges. Think of the coronavirus crisis, nitrogen issues, complex permit procedures, and obtaining consent declarations to lay cables on private land. The annual dyke closures also caused delays, resulting in longer-than-planned deployment times, for example in dyke areas.
The project began in April 2020 as an initiative by seven collaborating municipalities to establish a fiber-optic network in rural areas. Market parties saw no commercial viability in this, making this municipal collaboration a unique project for both the Netherlands and Europe. The UBRivierenland Broadband Network Implementation Organization carried out the deployment and is responsible for its management and maintenance.
In the rural areas of West Betuwe, approximately 2,887 addresses were approached by UBRivierenland over the past few years for a fiber-optic connection. Around 85% of residents have signed up for a connection, of which more than 93% have now been realized in the municipality of West Betuwe. About 90% of residents are actively using the internet connection. The remaining approximately 160 addresses will be connected in the coming spring/summer. In the Rivierenland region, a total of around 7,500 addresses across six other municipalities have been connected to the UBRivierenland network. Here, too, about 90% of residents are actively using the service.
A joint achievement
Rutger van Stappershoef: “As individual municipalities, it would have been difficult and complex to deploy such an extensive fiber-optic network. That is why it is good that we managed to realize this together with six other municipalities in our region. We can be justifiably proud of this.”
Mr. Van Asch of Boerengoed in Enspijk adds: “Good internet is crucial for us. Without such a connection, our business would face serious issues, namely reduced visibility and digital accessibility. Internet has become an essential utility that you cannot do without, as many matters can only be handled digitally these days. That is why it is great that the municipality of West Betuwe has ensured a reliable internet connection in the rural areas.”
Would you like to learn more about the fiber-optic project and UBR? Visit www.ubrivierenland.nl.
The image shows that the municipalities in Rivierenland are leading the way in active fiber-optic connections.