Somewhat surprisingly, NRB acquired a limited 5G license at the frequency auction in 2022, but now wants to get rid of it. The company sells its spectrum license to Proximus.

Proximus acquires the spectrum license from NRB. The Walloon NRA was, somewhat surprisingly, the fifth party to acquire part of the 5G spectrum as part of the government’s spectrum auction in 2022. Orange, Proximus, Telenet and Digi Belgium then shared most of the cake, but IT provider NRB bought 20 MHz in the 3,600 MHz band due to business ambitions.

“We know that 5G will very quickly become important to serve businesses and the public sector competitively and efficiently,” said Pascal Laffineur, CEO of NRB. Today the plans have been cooled and NRB is continuing to sell the spectrum. The company wants to concentrate on its core business again. Offering 5G services remains a plan, but this will be done through an agreement with a provider such as Proximus. Negotiations in this regard are currently underway between the NRB and Proximus.

Competitive advantage

Proximus already has a very strong 5G network. The company has already purchased 100 MHz in the high frequency band, but by purchasing NRB it expands the available spectrum to 120 MHz. That’s more than the 100 MHz that both Telenet and Orange own, which could give Proximus a technological advantage.

The BIPT has already given its consent subject to conditions. For example, there will be a new tender for the 3,410 – 3,430 MHz band and the spectrum limit will be increased from 100 MHz to 120 MHz, which is necessary to enable the purchase of Proximus.

“The agreement with Proximus is part of the NRB approach, with which we want to continue to adapt flexibly to a constantly evolving market,” says Laffineur about this deal. “The NRB spectrum will help us offer the best network to our customers,” adds Geert Standaert, Network & Wholesale Lead at Proximus.