Following 'Freedom of Speech' and 'We challenge, you win', the latest slogan underlines again the operator's market position as challenger. Base is number three on the Belgian mobile market, after Proximus and Mobistar, and the only one to pursue a mobile-only strategy.
The company is a subsidiary of KPN, and the Dutch operator is reportedly in talks with multiple parties on a possible sale of the Belgian subsidiary. In an interview with Belgian paper De Standaard, Base CEO Jos Donvil declined to comment on possible new owners for the company, saying he's focused on implementing the new strategy. He said more details would follow later on the 'Go mobile' approach, but would not provide details on any new pricing strategy.
Donvil said Base had underestimated the costs of TV content and other elements of its fixed-line services, which were offered under the brand name Snow. The business plan in the end was not sufficient for making a go of the market. He again blamed the regulator for allowing the duopoly of Telenet and Proximus to persist on the fixed market, while subjecting mobile operators to severe price regulation.
While the other major operators in Belgium are pursuing a quad-play strategy, the Base CEO said the company did not see strong enough demand from consumers for this. Instead the company will focus on the increasing amount of data traffic shifting to mobile networks and position itself as an alternative to fixed providers, Donvil said.
