Belgium remains expensive for telecoms, but the situation is improving according to BIPT
To meet this unfavorable situation for the consumer, the dominant operators (Proximus, Telenet and VOO) had to comply with several measures, such as a reduction in wholesale prices to obtain access to fixed networks or the opening up to competition of the new network fiber deployed by Proximus. This regulation has notably favored the breakthrough of Orange as a new player.
“In general, we note that 96% of the commercial offers of alternative operators are based on the regulatory measures that have been imposed on dominant operators.“, notes BIPT.
Diversification of offers and lower prices
The increase in competition has allowed a diversification of offers to better meet the real needs of customers and lower prices. The telecom price index is now increasing less rapidly than the general price index, even before the acceleration of inflation in early 2022.
If we focus on convergent solutions (which include both fixed and mobile telecom services), the drop in prices is substantial: a pack cost between just over 70 and 120 euros per month in the first quarter of 2018, while it was necessary to pay a little less than 70 to 90 euros per month in the second term of this year.