The regulator considers that proposed measures may conflict with the EECC, instead recommending improved transparency for consumers looking to switch
The BIPT issued its opinion on a bill to require automatic switching to best available tariffs
On 20 January 2026, the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) published its opinion on Bill No. 1120/001 on affordable consumer tariffs. The bill, which was introduced to the Chamber of Representatives on 16 October 2025, would amend the Telecommunications Act 2005 to require operators to automatically switch consumers to the most affordable tariff available to them after obtaining their consent through an annual notification. The proposal was also included in the Belgian Government’s Federal Coalition Agreement for 2025-2029 and is likely to be reintroduced in a similar, preliminary legislative draft in the coming weeks. The Economy, Consumer Protection and Digitalisation Committee of the Chamber of Representatives requested the opinion of the BIPT and the Council of State before proceeding with considering the legislation.
The Government aims to increase consumer switching through similar means to the energy sector
Under the Telecommunications Act and the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), operators in Belgium are required to notify their customers every year of the most affordable tariff available to them. Under Bill No. 1120/001, operators would be required to automatically switch consumers to that tariff after receiving their consent. Operators would have to include information on customers’ data usage in their best tariff notification as well as a contractual offer for the tariff the customer would switch to. The explanatory memo published with the bill states that best tariff notifications currently require an active choice to be made by consumers to switch and suggests that lowering perceived barriers may encourage higher rates of switching and fewer choices of “suboptimal” tariffs. According to the bill’s authors, fixed and mobile prices in Belgium remain consistently higher than those in neighbouring countries despite the entry of a fourth operator (Digi) into the market. The memo notes that other sectors, namely energy, see similar consumer incentives on tariff choice and are subject to automatic switching measures to encourage more affordable tariff choices among consumers.
The regulator believes that the proposed bill may conflict with the EECC
However, the BIPT has raised concerns with both the compatibility of Bill No. 1120/001 with the EECC as well as the potential burden placed on operators by the measure. According to both the BIPT and the opinion of the Council of State, published on 30 December 2025, the bill could conflict with the EECC as the code specifies that operators must only inform customers of the best available tariff, and the requirement to guarantee an automatic switching process would exceed this obligation. Regarding the burden to operators, the BIPT notes that 4.27m of the more than 5m fixed connections in the country in 2024 were residential, meaning operators would be required to prepare more than 4m contractual offers annually. To address both concerns, the regulator recommends instead that operators be obligated to offer information to customers on the process for switching tariffs within their best tariff notifications. The BIPT also references its forthcoming decision regarding best tariff notifications, previewing its plans to require operators to inform customers of the best available tariff among any operator and not only its own offerings. The regulator subsequently published this decision on 13 February 2026.
