Telecommunications law

Few law firms have as much expertise in telecommunications law as ours. We have been involved in high-profile cases in the telecommunications market since liberalisation first began. These have involved issues such as access regulation, mergers and acquisitions in the telecommunications sector, the allocation of scarce frequency spectrum, state support for the roll-out of fibre optic networks, net neutrality and consumer protection in the telecom sector. But we also regularly advise clients on the complex field of tension that exists between the interception and cooperation obligations required by law on the one hand and the strict regulations governing the confidentiality of communications on the other. We serve both national and international players within this market. Our telecoms lawyers are also familiar with the government agencies that enforce these rules.

A large and experienced team

Our firm has four partners (Quinten Kroes, Pepijn van Ginneken, Remy Chavannes and Dorien Verhulst) with extensive experience in telecommunications law. The breadth of this team is unrivalled in the Dutch market.

Our strength lies in our breadth

Telecommunications law has aspects in common with all of the other areas of law we specialise in at Brinkhof. Sector-specific regulation in the telecoms sector is partly based on the general rules on competition. It also includes special regulations governing privacy, which is one of our other areas of expertise. Furthermore, technical standards that are extremely important within the telecoms sector may also play a part in the proceedings conducted by our patent specialists in the field of telecommunications technology. Together with our platform team, we also advise major internet players with regard to innovative communication services and the discussion on mandatory investments in NGA networks. Finally, consumer protection is playing an ever increasing role in telecommunications law.

Long-standing relationships in the sector

Due to our long experience in the sector, we serve a wide range of telecoms parties, both incumbent providers and challengers. Not only fixed and mobile network providers, but also providers of telecommunications services without their own network, manufacturers of telecoms equipment and Over-The-Top service providers.

"Brinkhof has a long history of working in Telecoms, which is a huge asset."

Legal500

"Brinkhof combines strong legal expertise with knowledge of the market and high sensitivity towards internal company politics."

Chambers Europe

High profile cases

Represented KPN in appeal procedures regarding Vodafone-Ziggo and Liberty-Ziggo before the EU Court of Justice.
Represented Sky Radio in litigation against the Dutch State relating to the license fees imposed for the extension of radio licenses.
Represented Tele2 in civil damages litigation relating to the introduction of shared broadband access.
Represented Eurofiber in various telecoms regulatory matters, including its successful appeal against near-net regulation.
Represented CAIW in an EU state aid notification for next generation access networks.

Rankings

Our telecommunications law team has been ranked Tier 1 in The Legal 500 EMEA 2025 and Band 1 in de Chambers Europe 2025. These rankings are based on independent research, client feedback, and our role in leading telecommunications cases.