Digital connectivity in Belgium

The aim of the national plan for fixed and mobile connectivity is to eliminate the remaining white areas where high speed services are unavailable. By lowering costs and reducing administrative burdens, Belgium favours a market-driven digital connectivity deployment. 

National and regional digital connectivity strategy and policy

Responsible authorities

• The FPS Economy is the federal public service in charge of the economic policy in Belgium. The FPS supports the Belgian telecommunication sector in developing and implementing regulations and in stimulating innovation.
• The Belgian Institute for Postal services and Telecommunications (BIPT) is the regulator for electronic communications. One of its tasks is to promote competition, to contribute to the development of the internal market and to protect the users' interests. BIPT is involved in many aspects of the national digital connectivity strategy. In particular, it gathers, analyses and presents information on the supply of digital connectivity services, in order to stimulate the roll-out of digital connectivity networks and to identify the remaining white areas. The BIPT launched the website www.fibreinfo.be informing about fibre roll-out. It answers the questions of end users, operators, municipalities and property owners about the technology, the possibilities, the rights and obligations regarding fibre.

Main aims for digital connectivity development

The national broadband strategy is incorporated into a broader policy strategy Digital Belgium, which sets five priorities:

• Digital infrastructure
• Digital confidence and digital security
• Digital government
• Digital economy
• Digital skills and jobs

Belgium’s Federal Council of Ministers launched in April 2021 a national plan for fixed and mobile digital connectivity, which is to eliminate the remaining white areas where high speed services are unavailable. Under the plan, the white areas are mapped as a first step to facilitating the deployment of high speed services, for example by stimulating investment by operators. In addition, a special government unit responsible for implementing the plan and for monitoring progress will be set up, while a Broadband Competence Office deals with all relevant issues relating to the cooperation between public and private stakeholders and support implementation of the EU Connectivity Toolbox. The plan is built around 5 axes:

• mapping network coverage and identifying white areas
• facilitating the rollout of digital connectivity by creating a national BCO that will coordinate more extensively the cooperation between public authorities and operators or investors, as well as the implementation of the EU Connectivity Toolbox
• encouraging investment in the white areas without fast internet
• creating support for fibre and 5G rollout through the web site about 5G www.over5g.be
• the establishment of a cell Broadband within the FPS Economy

By reducing administrative burdens and lowering roll-out costs of network operators, the government is stimulating the roll-out of new digital connectivity technologies (fibre, 5G). For example, every house that is being built or renovated in the future will need to be fibre-ready. Moreover, a proactive 5G framework is to ensure Belgium is ready when the Internet-of-everything is rolled out.

Digital Wallonia sets the framework for the Walloon Government’s actions in terms of Wallonia’s digital transformation. The digital connectivity remains at the heart of the regional ambitions, with the aim to ensure very high speed fixed (fibre) and mobile (5G) connectivity, and possible alternative solutions if necessary, throughout the territory, in collaboration with the telecommunications operators considered as strategic partners. 

Digital Strategy for Flanders (Digitale Strategie voor Vlaanderen) establishes the roadmap for the Flemish Government’s digital priorities across four main axes: citizens, businesses, government, and infrastructure. A future-proof digital foundation is a core pillar of this ambition, with a primary focus on the accelerated and sustainable rollout of high-capacity fiber (glasvezel) and 5G networks.

Measures for digital connectivity development

Within the roadmap to implement the Connectivity Toolbox, Belgium announced plans to assess the need for permit exemptions, to identify opportunities to further digitalise permit application procedures, and to provide guidance to local entities that would not apply cost-based fees. The aim is to further improve the digital availability of information (mainly by strengthening synergies between different sources), and to encourage access to the physical infrastructure of public bodies.

The Recovery and Resilience Plan includes investments and key reforms related to connectivity  that will contribute to the deployment of 5G and the deployment of ultra-fast connectivity infrastructure, such as fibre.

In terms of digital connectivity mapping, the BIPT provides a mapping system for digital connectivity (per technology) showing where Internet access is available at a particular speed. In this way, areas where high-performance infrastructure is not yet present (white areas) and additional measures are necessary can be identified.

There are mapping tools with infrastructure information provided on the regional level. An example is the KLIP – Kabel en Leiding Informatie Portal database in Flanders, which provides relevant information for planning, permit applicants, cable and pipeline operators as well as public administration.

A similar portal exists at federal scale: KLIM-CICC - Contact federal Informations Câbles et Conduites. Here, when planning works, one can either check whether there are any installations and pipelines for the transport of hazardous products or high-voltage cables as well as other cables or lines nearby, or announce the works to the cable operators and cable operators who will provide all necessary information.

The Walloon Region also has its own web-enabled portal to assist in the coordination of works planning, called Powalco. Digital Wallonia launched a regional alert platform for digital connectivity problems: Digital Wallonia Connect. This platform was developed with the cooperation of the three mobile Telecom operators in the frame of the “ToP” agreement.

GIPOD in the Flemish Region and Osiris in the Brussels Capital Region are portals that assist in the coordination of civil works.

Data on digital connectivity development and technologies in Belgium

For the latest data on digital connectivity coverage, subscriptions and penetrations, coverage of different digital connectivity technologies check the Digital Decade country reports.

National and EU publications and press documents

• Digital Belgium
• fibreinfo - central information point about fibre roll-out in Belgium
• Digital Wallonia Strategy
• Broadband Investment Handbook
• Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU27
• Breedbandplan
• Alles over 5G

Contact information

BCO Belgium (national Broadband Competence Office): Directorate-General for Economic Regulation

Contact via email
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