Belgium - Telecoms, IP Networks and Digital Media

1. Key Statistics

2. Telecommunications Market

2.1 Overview of Belgium’s telecom market

3. Regulatory Environment

3.1 History

3.1.1 EU regulatory framework

3.2 Regulatory authority

3.2.1 Belgian Institute for Posts and Telecommunications (BIPT)

3.3 Telecom sector liberalisation in Belgium

3.3.1 Privatisation of Belgacom

3.3.2 Interconnect

3.3.3 Access

3.3.4 Number Portability (NP)

3.3.5 Carrier PreSelection (CPS)

3.3.6 Wholesale Line Rental (WLR)

4. Fixed Network Operators in Belgium

4.1 Overview of operators

4.2 Belgacom

4.3 COLT Telecom NV

4.4 Mobistar

4.5 Scarlet (formerly KPN Belgium)

4.6 Tele2 Belgium

4.7 Telenet

4.8 Versatel Telecom

5. Telecommunications Infrastructure

5.1 National telecom network

5.2 Next Generation Network (NGN)

5.3 International infrastructure

6. Broadband Market

6.1 Overview

6.1.1 Broadband statistics

6.2 Cable modems

6.2.1 Telenet

6.2.2 UPC Broadband

6.2.3 Interkabel

6.3 Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)

6.3.1 Belgacom’s DSL services

6.3.2 Versatel/Tele2 Belgium

6.3.3 Mobistar

6.4 Other DSL developments

6.4.1 SDSL

6.4.2 VDSL

6.4.3 G.SHDSL

6.5 Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) networks

6.5.1 Regulating fibre

6.5.2 Digital Metropolis Antwerp

6.6 Broadband Powerline (BPL)

6.7 Wireless broadband

6.7.1 Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

6.7.2 WLAN/WiFi

6.7.3 WiMAX

6.8 Mobile broadband

7. Convergence

7.1 Overview of media convergence

7.2 Key general trends

7.3 Triple play models

7.4 Regulatory issues

7.5 Digital TV (DTV)

7.5.1 Broadband TV (IPTV)

7.5.2 VoIP

7.5.3 Video-on-Demand (VoD)

7.5.4 Cable TV

7.5.5 Satellite TV

7.5.6 Digital Terrestrial TV (DTTV)

7.5.7 Free-to-Air (FTA) TV

7.5.8 Interactive TV (iDTV)

8. Mobile Communications

8.1 Overview of Belgium’s mobile market

8.1.1 Mobile statistics

8.1.2 Operator market shares

8.2 Regulatory issues

8.2.1 Spectrum regulations and spectrum auctions

8.2.2 Roaming

8.2.3 Mobile termination rates (MTRs)

8.2.4 Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

8.3 Mobile technologies

8.3.1 Digital

8.3.2 Third Generation (3G) mobile

8.4 Major mobile operators

8.4.1 Proximus

8.4.2 Mobistar

8.4.3 BASE

8.4.4 Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)

8.5 Mobile voice services

8.5.1 Prepaid cards

8.6 Mobile data services

8.6.1 Short Message Service (SMS)

8.6.2 SMS over fixed networks

8.6.3 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

8.6.4 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

8.6.5 Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE)

8.6.6 High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)

8.6.7 High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)

8.6.8 i-mode

8.6.9 BlackBerry

8.6.10 Mobile TV

8.7 Mobile applications

8.7.1 Location-based services

9. Forecasts

9.1 Forecast - broadband subscribers to 2018

9.1.1 Scenario 1 - higher broadband subscriber growth

9.1.2 Scenario 2 - lower broadband subscriber growth

9.2 Forecast - UMTS subscribers to 2013

9.3 Forecast - mobile ARPU to 2013

10. Glossary of Abbreviations

List of Tables and Exhibits

Table 1 - Country statistics Belgium - 2009

Table 2 - Telecom revenue and investment statistics - 2007

Table 3 - Telephone network statistics - January 2009

Table 4 - Internet user statistics - March 2009

Table 5 - Broadband statistics - January 2009

Table 6 - Mobile statistics - June 2009

Table 7 - National telecommunications authority

Table 8 - Telecom market investment by sector - 2006 - 2007

Table 9 - Telecom market revenue by sector - 2006 - 2007

Table 10 - Market share of households by sector (historic) - 2002 - 2005

Table 11 - LLU, shared access price - connection, monthly rental - 2005 - 2008

Table 12 - Unbundled loops and access lines - 2005 - 2009

Table 13 - Wholesale access lines - 2008 - 2009

Table 14 - Analogue access channels - PSTN, ISDN-2, ISDN-30 (historic) - 2000 - 2005

Table 15 - BRUO and BROBA monthly access fees - 2008

Table 16 - Fixed numbers ported (regulator data) - 2000 - 2005

Table 17 - Cumulative fixed number portings (EC data) - 2005 - 2008

Table 18 - Carrier preselect numbers and annual change - 2000 - 2005

Table 19 - Belgacom residential access channels - 2007 - 2008

Table 20 - Belgacom subscribers by sector - 2008

Table 21 - Belgacom residential traffic - 2007 - 2008

Table 22 - Belgacom financial data - 2003 - 2008

Table 23 - Belgacom revenue by sector - 2004 - 2008

Table 24 - Belgacom revenue by operating division & annual change - 2007 - 2008

Table 25 - Belgacom fixed-line services revenue by sector - 2007 - 2008

Table 26 - Belgacom revenue share by sector - 2005 - 2007

Table 27 - Belgacom monthly ARPU by sector - 2005 - 2008

Table 28 - Mobistar financial data - 2005 - 2009

Table 29 - Mobistar financial data by sector - 2005 - 2009

Table 30 - Telenet financial data - 2005 - 2009

Table 31 - Telenet revenue by sector - 2003 - 2009

Table 32 - Telenet subscribers by sector - 2005 - 2009

Table 33 - Telenet subscriber monthly ARPU - 2005 - 2009

Table 34 - Versatel financial data (historic) - 2005 - 2007

Table 35 - Versatel subscriber statistics (historic) - 2005 - 2007

Table 36 - Versatel subscribers by type (historic) - 2006 - 2007

Table 37 - Fixed lines in service and teledensity - 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2009

Table 38 - Internet users and penetration rate - 1995 - 2009

Table 39 - Broadband subscribers by technology and penetration rates - 2000 - 2009

Table 40 - Broadband market share by sector (historic) - 2002 - 2005

Table 41 - Broadband subscribers by access type - 2006; 2008 - 2009

Table 42 - Cable modem subscribers - 2000 - 2009

Table 43 - Telenet subscribers by sector - 2005 - 2009

Table 44 - Telenet financial data - 2005 - 2009

Table 45 - UPC Belgium subscriber data (historic) - 2006

Table 46 - ADSL subscribers - 2000 - 2009

Table 47 - Belgacom ADSL subscribers - 2000 - 2008

Table 48 - Bitstream and wholesale subscribers - 2002 - 2009

Table 49 - WLL broadband subscribers - 2005 - 2009

Table 50 - Belgacom TV users, ARPU and revenue - 2006 - 2008

Table 51 - Cable TV subscribers and penetration rate - 1995 - 2009

Table 52 - Telenet subscribers by sector - 2005 - 2009

Table 53 - Telenet ARPU - 2005 - 2009

Table 54 - UPC Belgium statistics per market segment (historic) - 2005 - 2006

Table 55 - Satellite TV subscribers - 1995 - 2009

Table 56 - Mobile service revenue - 2004 - 2007; 2010

Table 57 - Mobile operators, subscribers and annual change - June 2009

Table 58 - Mobile subscribers and teledensity - 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2009

Table 59 - Mobile market share by operator - 2002 - 2008

Table 60 - Market share of net adds by operator - 2005 - 2008

Table 61 - Maximum mobile roaming charges - 2007 - 2009

Table 62 - Mobile termination tariffs by operator - 2006 - 2008

Table 63 - Annual mobile numbers ported - 2002 - 2005; 2008

Table 64 - Cumulative mobile numbers ported (EC data) - 2005 - 2008

Table 65 - Proximus revenue by sector (CBU) - 2004 - 2009

Table 66 - Proximus subscribers and prepaid proportion - 2004 - 2009

Table 67 - Proximus CBU subscribers - 2007 - 2009

Table 68 - Proximus ARPU (consumer) by sector - 2007 - 2009

Table 69 - Mobistar subscribers and prepaid proportion - 2003 - 2009

Table 70 - Mobistar Group financial data and annualised ARPU - 2005 - 2009

Table 71 - BASE financial data - 2005 - 2009

Table 72 - BASE subscribers, prepaid proportion & ARPU - 2004 - 2009

Table 73 - Proportion of prepaid subscribers by operator - 2004 - 2009

Table 74 - Proximus SMS messages (CBU) - 2007 - 2008

Table 75 - Premium SMS market overview

Table 76 - Forecast broadband subscribers - higher market growth scenario - 2007 - 2012; 2018

Table 77 - Forecast broadband subscribers - lower market growth scenario - 2007 - 2012; 2018

Table 78 - Forecast UMTS subscribers - 2006 - 2013

Table 79 - Forecast mobile ARPU - 2005 - 2010; 2013

Exhibit 1 - EU’s New Regulatory Framework (NRF)

Exhibit 2 - Key ADSL service providers - 2009

Exhibit 3 - WiMAX spectrum licences - 2001 - 2005