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Belgium - Market Intelligence Report
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Market Intelligence Reports provide an invaluable mix of vital market data and background information, including telecoms regulation. Belgium's incumbent operator is Belgacom, in which the ADSB consortium comprising Ameritech (later SBC Communications, now AT&T Corporation), Tele Danmark (now Tele Danmark Communications (TDC)), and Singapore Telecom (SingTel) took a 50% stake in December 1995. The government retained the remaining 50% stake, holding an additional 'golden' share. In October 2003, the partners agreed a future ownership strategy for the company, when the Belgian State, ADSB, and Belgacom entered into an agreement to proceed with the preparations for an initial public offering (IPO) of Belgacom utilising the shares owned by ADSB. In March 2004, Belgacom and ADSB announced details of the IPO of shares of Belgacom and the listing of their Belgacom shares on Euronext Brussels took place at the end of March 2004. The Belgian government, however, has made no indication of its intention to sell its controlling stake in the company. Belgium's current telecommunications law came into force on December 30, 1997, consisting more of a series of amendments to existing laws. Most importantly, all previously-licensed operators, including Belgacom, had to re-apply for licences to the regulator, the Institut Belge des Service Postaux et des Télécommunications (IBPT). Belgium came under fire from the European Commission (EC) for its late implementation of legislation to open the market to full competition in January 1998. However, despite moves to transpose all European directives into Belgian law, the EC took Belgium to court on two occasions in the latter part of 1999: in July 1999 over an alleged failure to provide a method for working out the net cost of universal service provision and the contributions of operators; and, in September 1999 over its failure to implement directive 90/388/EEC governing competition in the markets for telecommunications services. Its strategic location and the fact that it houses the headquarters of the EC have made Belgium a popular location on the pan-European networks constructed by a number of operators, and a number of significant international players have installed infrastructure in the country, including MCI (now part of Verizon Business), COLT Telecom, and Interoute, to name a few. Belgium's cellular market grew slowly in 2005 to 3.46%, reaching 8.787 million subscribers at the end of the year. Penetration increased to approximately 84.2%. KPN Mobile-owned BASE took the largest share of net additions (58%), and its market share increased to 18.45%, at the expense of both of the other operators (primarily Belgacom Mobile (which trades as Proximus)). Proximus' market share declined to 48.41%, while that of France Telecom/Orange-owned Mobistar fell slightly to 33.15%. However, growth increased markedly in 2006 to 8.7%, reaching 9.459 million subscribers at the end of the year. Penetration increased to approximately 91.8%. Again, BASE took the largest share of net additions (63%), and its market share increased to 21.98%, at the expense of both of the other operators (primarily Proximus). Proximus' market share declined to 45.15%, while that of Mobistar fell slightly to 32.87%. In February 2002, it was announced that the government would delay the launch of third-generation (3G) mobile services by one year to September 2003. Belgacom Mobile, Mobistar, and KPN had asked for permission to delay the roll-out of 3G mobile phone services because of delays in the supply of dual-mode handsets and 3G network infrastructure. The three operators had been awarded their licences in March 2001, for which they paid a combined total of just €451 million. The IBPT was instructed to oversee a validation session organised by the three operators and the sessions took place in September and October 2003, at the end of which the IBPT announced that it considered that "the three UMTS operators are respecting their marketing obligations according to" the Minister's letter. The first 3G services became available from Proximus in April/May 2004.
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