Among all EU countries, Belgium ranks last in fiber penetration to homes. Our country is in a serious catch-up race.
Fifty percent of households in the European Union average Equipped with fiber optic. Belgium ranks last with less than ten percent penetration. It is clear from this Broadband coverage in Europe A recently released report.
Please note, these are figures for 2021. Meanwhile, both Proximus and Telenet have indicated that they are stepping up their efforts to roll out fiber optics in our country. Proximus has found investors from banks and the government, and is rolling out a fiber optic network in shoestring rural areas of our country. In turn, Telenet and Fluvius have already mentioned that they will be working together to develop fiberglass.
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Although the backlog is considerable. Latvia, for example, is a country with the highest level of fttp (Fiber to the Premises) coverage, with nearly ninety percent of homes. Six other countries – Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria and Sweden – have achieved an FTDP coverage rate of more than eighty percent.
Across the EU, nine countries are recording double-digit growth in their FTP coverage, including Cyprus, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovakia.
In the report, Belgium is the only country with less than ten percent fttp coverage, with 9.7 percent of Belgian households having fiber access. “In Belgium, the incumbent has prioritized vdsl upgrades of existing ds; networks over investing in generally more expensive FTP technology,” the EU report said.
Belgium is not alone. “A similar strategy was followed by operators in other countries such as Germany, Greece and the United Kingdom, all of which recorded fttp coverage levels below 25 percent.” Especially as our country is poised for a catch-up race.
