Strengthened rollout and wholesale commitments will ensure that the benefits of the agreement flow through to access seekers and end users
Fibre deployment is vital for Belgium’s competitiveness and economic development
On 23 July 2026, the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) adopted a decision on “the merits of a proposed cooperation” between Proximus and Telenet for the rollout of fibre networks in suburban areas of Flanders, Belgium’s northern region. The cooperation between the two operators’ infrastructure units, Fiberklaar and Wyre, involves sharing deployment efforts in the areas in question, combined with the migration of Proximus customers to Wyre’s cable (HFC) network in rural areas, while both continue their respect fibre rollout separately in urban centres. While the BCA considered the widespread deployment of fibre across Belgium was critical for the country’s competitiveness and future economic development, it stated that the proposed agreement raised concerns since it would significantly reduce infrastructure-based competition across Flanders, with possible knock-on effects on the supply of telecoms services, including by third-party operators.
Obligations would ensure that the benefits of the agreement are passed through to consumers, businesses and public institutions
In July 2024, the authority opened an investigation into the proposed cooperation, supported by the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT), with the aim of ensuring that the resultant benefits of it, including increased network capacity utilisation and lower rollout costs, are passed on through improved connectivity, better access conditions and more competitive terms for network users, ultimately benefitting households, businesses and public institutions across Flanders. During the course of the review, Proximus/Fiberklaar and Telenet/Wyre committed to a range of conditions, such as:
Expanding fibre coverage to more than 2m living units in suburban Flanders, and achieving approximately 75% of the build by June 2029;
Providing open access to Fiberklaar’s and Wyre’s passive fibre networks in suburban Flanders on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms;
Giving access on FRAND terms to Wyre’s HFC network across its entire footprint, including in rural areas, resulting in discounted tariffs capped at current levels for all wholesale users;
Granting access on FRAND terms to Proximus’ fibre and DSL networks across their respective footprints and to Wyre’s fibre network in urban areas;
Allowing access to Proximus’ ducts on FRAND terms in the urban areas, and mandating standalone access to fibre drop cables connecting home/business units to the respective networks of Wyre and Fiberklaar in suburban areas.
Public consultation led to a strengthening of the operator’s proposed commitments
In October 2025, the BCA launched a public consultation on the operators’ proposed commitments, which it stated would lead to a reduction of around 30% in wholesale fibre access rates in the joint deployment area. Combined with the direct economic impacts of the cooperation – worth more than €2.5bn (£2.13bn) – the authority provisionally considered that the commitments package would be capable of ensuring a fair distribution of the savings and other benefits arising from the proposed cooperation, and thereby of addressing its concerns. Following the consultation, the obligations were strengthened, requiring broader network coverage, improved access conditions and additional implementation safeguards. Among other things, Wyre committed to upgrade its HFC network from 2026 to ensure full multi-gigabit coverage over the whole territory of Flanders, conditions for accessing Proximus’ ducts in urban centres were significantly improved and Wyre committed to implement processes to ensure compliance with the EU’s Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) concerning access to existing physical infrastructure.
Approval of the cooperation reflects the positive contribution regulators can make
Considering the ambition of the proposed cooperation, which exceeds the standalone rollout plans of Fiberklaar and Wyre, and the conditions put forward by Proximus/Fiberklaar and Telenet/Wyre regarding access to their existing and future networks in Flanders, the BCA has concluded that its competition concerns have been adequately addressed. As a result, the BCA decided to allow the agreement to move towards implementation by making the parties’ commitments binding and terminating its investigation. The commitments are due to remain in force for up to 25 years, with monitoring of the operators’ compliance entrusted to the BIPT given its expertise and experience in the sector. According to the BCA, the decision demonstrates its ability and willingness to support operators and enable investment in strategic infrastructure, while the “seamless collaboration” between the BCA and the BIPT during the investigation also provides evidence as to the positive role that public authorities can play in securing a fair deal for society at large.
