According to an annual report from BIPT, fixed-line Internet connections with a download speed of at least 1 Gbit/s have increased by 59 percent within a year.

According to the BIPT’s annual figures report, Belgians are increasingly surfing the internet via fixed-line internet lines at speeds of more than 1 Gbit/s compared to last year. This 59 percent increase mainly affects cable networks and is accompanied by a doubling of internet traffic in four years and a decline in the number of residential customers with packages.

Investments in fiber optics

Sales of fixed-line Internet connections (broadband) continue to rise steadily: in 2023, there were a total of 5.1 million, 0.9 percent more than in the previous year. This contrasts with fixed-line Internet connections with a high download speed of at least 1 Gbit/s, which grew by 59 percent to 295,000 connections within a year.

The majority of these are based on the cable network (57%), with the remaining lines sold via the fibre optic network (43%). It is therefore the investments in fibre optics that led to a significant increase in investments in the fixed-line telecommunications sector (+182.6 million euros to 1.58 billion euros).

Double surfing

Internet traffic has doubled in the last four years, from 8.1 exabytes in 2019 to 16.7 exabytes in 2023. On average, a fixed-line internet connection now consumes 278 gigabytes per month, an increase of 27 gigabytes compared to the previous year and 128 gigabytes more. Despite this growth, the number of private customers with packages fell for the first time by 38,383 customers to 3.4 million. In contrast, the number of packages combining fixed-line and mobile internet grew by 106,000 to 2.32 million.

The market

In the fixed internet market, Telenet’s market share fell in Flanders and Brussels, while Proximus and Orange/VOO saw their shares increase. Telenet remains the market leader in Flanders with a share of between 50 and 60%, while Proximus maintains its leading position in Brussels and Wallonia.