Belgian operator Proximus has announced partnerships with the Dutch groups Delta Fiber and Eurofiber to further its plan to bring FTTP to 2.4 million premises in Belgium by 2025. Pending formal agreements on the joint ventures, the company aims to bring fibre to 1.5 million premises in Flanders with Delta Fiber and cover at least 500,000 premises in Wallonia with Eurofiber.
Proximus announced earlier this year plans to accelerate its fibre roll-out, including looking for potential partners. Backed by the investor EQT, Delta is already active covering the Netherlands for several years, reaching 700,000 premises with fibre already, with a target of 1 million by the end of 2021. Eurofiber is active across the Netherlands, Belgium and France and said it's looking to move beyond its traditional dark fibre and wholesale market to expand in FTTP projects.
By working together, the companies expect to achieve a faster roll-out in Belgium of an open, passive network. Other service providers will have access to the infrastructure.
Proximus CEO Guillaume Boutin said the partnerships provide room for accelerating the roll-out by 30 percent compared to the 2025 target and expanding the footprint to up to 4.2 million premises connected by the end of 2028. That would mean around 70 percent of the country covered. He said the joint ventures would have a neutral effect on cash flow, as reduced capex would be offset by equity contributions.
The companies said they would announce further details of the plans when final agreements are signed. The announcement follows a recent deal between local cable operator Telenet and utilities group Fluvius to bring fibre to Flanders.
