The Belgian competition authority is launching an investigation into the planned cooperation between Proximus, Telenet, Wyre and Fiberklare for the fibre optic rollout in Flanders.

The Belgian Competition Authority (BMA) is launching an investigation into the planned collaboration between Proximus and Telenet. The two providers, together with Wyre and Fiberklare, want to expand fiber optics in less densely populated areas in Flanders. By jointly expanding a fiber optic network, the providers want to reduce costs and serve large parts of Flanders more quickly. The collaboration is expected to reach 2.7 million households.

BMA and BIPT announced in 2023 that they were open to such cooperation and would consider it rather than automatically rejecting it. Competition should not be affected, but joint fiber optic rollout could be possible in less densely populated areas. Telenet and Proximus are now proposing such a collaboration.

Competition and advantage

The fact that the BMA is now launching an investigation is entirely in line with expectations. The investigation will examine whether the planned cooperation project is likely to impair competition between providers of telecommunications services and does not conflict with national and European legislation that prohibits anti-competitive agreements between companies.

The BMA is interested in the cost savings and efficiency gains proposed by the providers. In the study, the authority will examine whether these advantages are also noticeable for the users of the proposed networks. The BMA will pay attention to access rates, among other things, but also to the scope and speed of the rollout. The BIPT will participate in the research.