The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (IBPT), the telecoms regulator, reported on Friday that 95% of Belgian households now have ‘sufficient’ 5G coverage.
This figure is an increase from December’s statistic, which was 87%.
These rates refer to outdoor coverage. For indoor areas, just over three-quarters of Belgian households have satisfactory 5G service.
Telenet currently provides the widest coverage, reaching 95% of households, closely followed by Proximus at 92% and Orange at 83%.
In terms of geographical reach, the Flemish operator also leads outdoor 5G coverage, spanning 85% of the country, trailed by Proximus at 75% and Orange at 63%.
Within homes, Proximus leads with 76% coverage, trailed by both Orange and Telenet at 67%. Geographically, Telenet leads again with indoor service at 57%, Proximus at 43%, and Orange at 40%.
The role of geography on coverage
The IBPT stated that typically, 5G rollout starts in densely populated urban areas before expanding to less populated regions, explaining the coverage rate differences between households and geographical areas.
This split also accounts for higher coverage levels in Flanders and Brussels compared to Wallonia.
The Institute noted regional fluctuations, also due to ‘variations in 5G deployment policies and other geographical and economic factors’, are decreasing.
Additionally, the regulator highlighted that the adoption of 5G has improved performance across the three mobile networks, offsetting 4G network saturation and the phasing out of 3G.
