Proximus wants to offer internet that is 10 times faster this year | Inland

CEO Guillaume Boutin made the announcement during the presentation of the financial results of Proximus in 2021. By the end of this year, the telecom operator will come onto the market for consumers and businesses with an internet subscription at a theoretical speed of 10 Gbps. With this, Proximus wants to show its “superiority” in terms of network, according to the Frenchman.

Still waiting for more details. Not every customer on the Proximus fiber optic network will be able to achieve the top speed immediately. The higher speeds require a new router and new WiFi boosters. It is not yet clear which places will get the scoop.

It is not clear when competitor Telenet will increase its speeds. In a response, that operator says that 1 Gbps currently meets customer needs. Telenet focuses on offering that speed to everyone. “But if we want to go beyond these speeds, that’s also possible. Our coax products can achieve speeds of 2 to 3 Gbps in the short term, and also 10 Gbps in the medium term, via next-generation docsis technology. Our fiber offering will also allow speeds of 10 Gbps to current and future fiber customers.”

Proximus has not yet announced prices. “The end of 2022 is still a long way off,” it reads. Certainly at a time when inflation is soaring: Boutin pointed in his presentation to the increased costs for energy and wages, among other things. He wants to keep those costs under control. The rates will be monitored, he said in that regard. Telenet also said earlier that the increased energy costs weigh heavily.

For those who value price more than speed, Proximus is launching a new internet subscription: Internet Essential costs 25 euros per month for 100 GB volume and 50 Mbps download speed. The formula replaces Internet Start, which cost 27.5 euros. Customers who only have a fiber optic cable at their disposal will be able to subscribe, but they will have to be patient for a few more months.

Boutin also had news about the mobile network. Every mobile subscriber with a suitable smartphone will be able to sample the 5G network for three months from 1 April. Now only customers with certain, more expensive, subscriptions can surf on that new network. Customers of low-cost subsidiary brands Scarlet and Mobile Vikings cannot use it.

In practice, especially customers in Flanders will benefit from the trial period, because Proximus still has almost no 5G zones in Wallonia and Brussels. There was local resistance to the roll-out of 5G and according to the operators, the radiation standards are still too strict. Boutin hopes that will change soon. By 2024, he already wants to cover 99 percent of Belgium with the 5G network.

Competitor Orange announced last week that it would also start with 5G. There, all customers, including those of the low-cost brand Hey, have access to 5G at no extra cost. Telenet also announced that soon all its customers will be able to surf on the 5G network where it is available, although there are speed limits with the cheapest bundle.

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