Fifteen municipalities in Wallonia should soon have access to high-speed internet through the rollout of fibre optics in the region, telecoms giant Proximus announced on Wednesday.
The roll-out – done with the support of the towns and regions themselves – aims to be completed by the end of 2022, Belga News Agency reports.
This news comes after Proximus announced plans to provide more than 60,000 homes and businesses in the Brussels Periphery with a fibre connection by 2023.
"Fibre optics is a high-speed technology that allows data to be transmitted at the speed of light while being more energy-efficient," Proximus explained in a press release. "It paves the way for a stable, ultra-fast (multi-gigabit), two-way, low-latency Internet experience without interruption, regardless of the number of people or devices connected. This connectivity technology will support the digital innovations of the coming decades."
Put simply, fibre optics will bring better internet.
In Brussels, the focus remains on the city and outskirts. Plans to develop networks in Vilvoorde have been ongoing since 2019, with the intention to expand into Grimbergen, Machelen, Zaventem, Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem and Tervuren with an eventual aim of reaching 83% coverage in the municipalities concerned by 2028.
- In Vilvoorde, the rollout already kicked off in 2019,
- In Machelen and Kraainem, construction works started recently,
- In Grimbergen and Tervuren, works will start before the end of the year,
- Parts of Zaventem will begin works in early 2022,
- In Wezembeek-Oppem, work will begin in early 2023.
By the end of 2023, more than 60,000 homes and businesses in these municipalities should have a fibre connection. Thereafter, the ambition remains to gradually expand the coverage ratio, with more than another 12,500 connections by 2028, Proximus explained.
In 2020, Proximus announced plans to cover the entire Brussels-Capital Region before the end of 2026, reaching more than 600,000 homes and businesses.
In Wallonia, plans have been underway since the start of 2021. After Charleroi, Liège, Namur and Mons, where more than 100,000 homes now have fibre optic connection, Proximus has begun its deployment in La Louvière, Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont, Seraing and Soignies. Boussu, Colfontaine, Frameries, Ath, Nivelles, Braine-le-Comte and Tubize will follow.
"It is now Wallonia's turn to switch to fibre," explained Guillaume Boutin, CEO of the Proximus Group."In the coming months, more and more Walloons will be able to discover for themselves this ultimate broadband experience for surfing, streaming content, gaming and working at the speed of light."
