HOUTEN, 23/08/06 - The Dutch market for mobile telephony is under pressure, according to Telecompaper.nl. The research bureau yesterday revised its forecasts for the full year downwards.

The Dutch mobile telephony market was worth 1.52 billion euros in the second quarter. This was up 5.2 percent from the first quarter, and up just 0.9 percent from the 2005 second quarter, according to Telecompapier research.

The bureau speaks of weak growth figures. It now expects full-year sales growth of telecom operators for mobile phoning to be only 3 to 4 percent. Growth figures in the past two years were much stronger.

KPN has remained market leader in the Netherlands, Telecompaper reports. Its market share has risen to 46.8 percent of total sales from 46.5 percent in the first quarter. This figure was 37.8 percent in the 2005 second quarter, since when KPN's acquisition of Telfort last year has boosted its sales.

T-Mobile lost market share (from 17.7 percent to 17.5 percent), as did Orange (from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent). Vodafone managed to maintain its market position.

The Netherlands now has 17.2 million mobile telephones - for a population of 16.3 million - compared with 16.9 million at end-March 2006, according to Telecompapier.