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KPN launches hybrid 4G/5G edge services for industry 

Simon Dux
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0
KPN launches hybrid 4G/5G edge services for industry 

The new Campus service is a combination of 5G, on-premises and edge compute, indoor localisation and business LAN

KPN has launched its new 4G/5G edge service which wraps together on-premises computing, indoor localisation and LAN for enterprises – various options of these will be added to the service over the coming months. The operator is pitching the service as “secure and reliable infrastructure and services” which it can deliver three ways: via the public 5G, hybrid public and private and fully private 5G networks. 

The operator said the new service family is its response to the growing need for more autonomy, reliability and guarantees for on-site infrastructure. Industrial services require more than just speed and connectivity. They also need a high level of security, high-quality (indoor) coverage, availability guarantees and fast response times. 

“We want to be at the forefront of 5G connectivity and relevant applications that meet the needs of our customers,” said KPN chief business market and executive board member Chantal Vergouw (above). “We already do this with our existing mobile networks and from now on we can also offer all business customers with mission- and business-critical processes the right 5G solution on location with KPN Campus. We can also unburden private 5G, so that businesses in the Netherlands can reap the benefits of digitization in an environment that always has to work.” 

Flexible options 

Depending on what the enterprise needs and what level of network management it wants to do itself, KPN can mix-and-match depending on need. For example, the telco already offers public 5G for high-quality indoor coverage. Organisations can now handle extensive mobile data traffic locally through a local 5G gateway – hybrid 5G.  

KPN Campus also lets companies to set up a fully private mobile network. This network can be used for both 4G and 5G equipment and runs autonomously at the customer location. KPN hasn’t detailed its technology partners for Campus although the operator partnered up with Ericsson when it began testing 5G standalone at 3.5 GHz and is currently introducing it in its network this year. KPN also has 700MHz which is a lot better for indoor applications.  

Beta testing Campus 

In January, KPN revealed it was testing its 5G Edge technology at logistics service provider KLG Europe, where it installed an on-premises local 5G gateway. Several automated guided vehicles (AGVs) operate in the KLG Europe distribution centre to collect and distribute packages and pallets. These AGVs are equipped with SIM cards and connected to the 5G indoor network in the warehouse. By installing a local 5G gateway, all mobile data from the AGVs is routed directly to the AGV server at the same location. This improved the latency to only four milliseconds, where approximately 21 milliseconds is currently still common. All the processed data remains onsite as well making it a proper edge service.  

KPN emphasised Campus will give large business customers more autonomy and provides the highest possible availability guarantees. For example, the network capacity can be fully allocated to certain mission-critical applications, such as controlling autonomous vehicles and robots or augmented reality applications.  

France’s SFR sheds almost 0.5m mobile subscribers in Q1

Annie Turner
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0
France’s SFR sheds almost 0.5m mobile subscribers in Q1

Altice France’s subsidiary has lost 702,000 subscribers over the last year (if you leave 4G dongles out of it), adding to the parent company’s considerable woes

SFR, Altice France’s mobile arm and the second largest mobile operator in the country has shed almost half a million subscribers in Q1 of this year. It was not unexpected after price rises and the end of discounted offers passed the cost of inflation onto customers.

La Voix du Nord reports it is the only French mobile operator to stop promotional periods for new customers – Orange reduced its special promotional period for such customers from a year to six months at the end of 2023.

The net loss of 487,000 customers takes the country’s second largest operator (behind Orange) to below 20 million subscribers. The net loss was 231,000 in the previous quarter.

According to the French website GNT, since last Q3 the operator has taken to including 4G dongle subscriptions in its numbers, and reckons that overall, SFR has in fact lost 702,000 mobile subscribers in the last year.

Better fixed

There’s better news on the fixed side. SFR lost 77,000 set-top box subscribers in Q1 of this year, but the number of fibre subscribers grew by 69,000 fibre, taking the total to approaching 5 million.

SFR’s turnover reached €2.5 billion in the first quarter, down 3.8% year on year with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation down 6.5% to €782 million.However, these falls are in line with the operator’s expectations for 2024.

As GNT puts it, translated from the French, “The main objective for this year is supposed to be deleveraging” while its parent, Altice France, is in a standoff with its creditors over debts of more than €24 billion.

The Altice group is controlled by billionaire Patrick Drahi and is also suffering the fall-out from a criminal investigation into fraudulent accounting in Portugal. The group’s co-founder, Armando Pereira, is still the subject of a police investigation. The French police are also looking into if there is a case to answer from there.

Rohde & Schwarz Webinar: How high precision GNSS enables new automotive applications

Annie Turner
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0
Rohde & Schwarz Webinar: How high precision GNSS enables new automotive applications

The typical positional accuracy provided by standalone GNSS is 3-10 meters, which is suitable for automotive applications such as navigation and emergency call.

With the emergence of high-precision GNSS, able to mitigate the influence of errors, sub-decimeter positional accuracy is possible and it becomes usable for more advanced applications such as C-V2X and autonomous driving.

However, there are many important aspects that should be considered when developing high precision GNSS receivers and using the service for safety-critical applications.

In this webinar, you will learn about:

  • The basic principles of high precision GNSS
  • How GNSS networks and error correction work
  • Using high precision GNSS for automotive applications
  • Testing high precision GNSS

Soracom announces new low-cost IoT plans for Europe 

Simon Dux
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0
Soracom announces new low-cost IoT plans for Europe 

The IoT giant’s Plan X3-EU hopes to put a lid on data costs escalating quickly as IoT deployments scale

Global IoT provider Soracom announced a new cellular data plan called Plan X3-EU, designed to provide low-cost coverage across Europe for high data consumption use cases. Plan X3-EU includes access to Soracom’s cloud-native platform services for managing SIMs, reducing data costs, transmitting to public cloud platforms, and accessing deployed devices remotely. 

The IoT provider – that has been ramping up its activities globally since listing on the Tokyo exchange in March – has the backers to make a significant impact in the otherwise fragmented world of IoT. After joining Japan’s KDDI Group through M&A in August 2017, in June 2021 Soracom announced a further capital alliance including Hitachi, Nippon Gas, Sony Group, Sourcenext, SECOM CO and World Innovation Lab (WiL).   

Plan X3-EU offers a range of bundle options to accommodate diverse data consumption requirements. Starting from an annual fee of €4.50, customers can access 25MB of data transmission per SIM per month, with subsequent monthly charges of €0.38 after the first year. Additional options include 100MB, 500MB, 1GB, and 3GB plans, each offering competitive pricing structures, according to the company. 

High-use sweet spot 

Soracom believes the sweet spot for the new service is where large telemetry data sets are sent to the cloud, major firmware updates are carried out over the air, devices transmit image and video data, substantial data points are needed for AI training and gateways and routers are used to backhaul aggregated device data. 

“We know that data costs can escalate dramatically as IoT deployments scale,” said Soracom director of business development and head of carrier relations Ken Otsuki. “By delivering what we believe are some of the best IoT connectivity rates in Europe for high data use cases, Plan X3-EU accelerates IoT projects and supports success at scale.” 

Plan X3-EU also includes bundled access to platform services designed to solve common challenges in IoT. Customers can further reduce data costs with Soracom’s innovative protocol conversion called Beam, transmit data directly to cloud functions, manage IoT devices remotely, and apply advanced security features. Beam reduces data and power needs related to encryption, allows connection to the cloud without relay servers or SDKs, and supports certificate management for a company’s entire IoT/M2M fleet. Even if a user’s low-power device supports only HTTP, Beam still lets them deliver HTTPS to cloud services as required. 

In a region known for intense competition across a bewildering assortment of providers and plans, Soracom’s Plan X3-EU offers a simple, affordable solution for M2M devices and sensors. Plan X3-EU brings low-cost IoT together with reliable connectivity across Europe covering LTE-M, 4G and NB-IoT where available. 

T-Mobile US to acquire most of UScellular in $4.4 billion deal 

Simon Dux
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0
T-Mobile US to acquire most of UScellular in $4.4 billion deal 

Deal includes wireless operations and almost one-third of its spectrum assets across several frequency bands

T-Mobile US has agreed to acquire the bulk of regional mobile operator UScellular in a $4.4bn deal that will see it gaining the wireless operations and around 30% of the much-prized spectrum assets across several frequency bands. The purchase price of $4.4 billion, includes a combination of cash and up to approximately $2 billion of assumed debt. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2025. 

UScellular will retain its nearly 4,400 owned towers, its equity method investments, and approximately 70% of spectrum assets. As part of the deal, T-Mobile has entered into a new master licence agreement (MLA) and be a long-term tenant on at least 2,600 of UScellular’s towers. 

T-Mobile gains access to 4.5 million retail customers in 21 states. The Chicago-based UScellular had 4,300 full- and part-time associates as of 31 March 2024. At the end of the first quarter of 2024, Telephone and Data Systems owned approximately 83 percent of UScellular. According to the two companies T-Mobile will use its greater resources to deliver benefits including “lower prices, more robust plans, superior network experiences, and more added benefits”. 

T-Mobile customers will also get access to UScellular’s network in areas that previously had limited coverage and the benefit of enhanced performance throughout UScellular’s footprint from the addition of the acquired UScellular spectrum to T-Mobile’s network. 

UScellular customers will have the option to stay on their current plans or move to an unlimited T-Mobile plan of their choosing with no switching costs, which include  “Un-carrier” benefits such as streaming and free international data roaming. Some will also have access to plans with increased savings previously not available to them, including T-Mobile’s 5G Unlimited 55+ plans.  

Strategic review 

The agreement follows a “thorough strategic review process” announced in August 2023 and has been unanimously recommended by the independent directors of UScellular, and approved by its board.  

“This deal will create opportunity for T-Mobile to bring millions of UScellular customers lower prices and the Un-carrier’s superior value on our best-in-class nationwide 5G network, offering much needed choice and more real competition across the wireless industry,” said T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert. “Bringing together UScellular’s network resources with ours will enable us to fill gaps in connectivity that will create a better experience for all of our customers with more coverage and more capacity. And this is just some of the goodness this deal will bring.” 

“The decisions we announced today are in the best interests of our customers and our shareholders. T-Mobile is the right partner for our wireless operations and will ensure that customers have access to best-in-class wireless speeds and performance, including 5G and a nationwide network, at compelling prices,” said UScellular CEO Laurent Therivel. “We are committed to serving the needs of our customers and supporting our associates as we work to complete the transaction.” 

Tower continuity 

In connection with the agreement, T-Mobile will enter into a new long-term MLA on a minimum of 2,015 incremental towers owned by UScellular and extend the lease term for the approximately 600 towers where T-Mobile is already a tenant. This will ensure continued, uninterrupted service for UScellular customers following the transaction and create a long-term contracted revenue stream from a strong anchor tenant for at least 15 years after the close of the transaction.  

With the inclusion of the towers occupied by other existing third-party tenants, UScellular said its tower assets will represent one of “the largest and most attractive tower businesses in the United States”. 

UScellular retains about 70% of its spectrum portfolio across several spectrum bands and will seek to monetise them. The operator also keeps substantial “equity method investment interests”, primarily from its wireless partnerships, which generated $158 million of equity method income and $150 million in distributions in 2023. 

Jesús Romo, Americas Research Director, Telecoms Market Data & Intelligence at GlobalData, commented in a statement: “An important aspect of this announcement is what UScellular intends to keep in terms of assets. The company will retain 70% of its spectrum portfolio – a trove of assets that is most likely to be negotiated in the spectrum secondary market. UScellular aims to keep strategic mid-band frequencies, including licenses from the 3.45 GHz and C-Band, as well as mmWave capacity that could receive interest from FWA operators, a market now projected to exceed 20 million accesses by 2028, according to GlobalData’s estimates.”

He added, “UScellular is also keeping its wireless towers and retaining T-Mobile as the main tenant for 15 years in over 2,600 sites, making UScellular a more prominent ‘towerco’ player in the US, a strategic sector to allow 5G network and densification across the country.”

 Other transaction details 

T-Mobile expects to finance the transaction with existing cash on hand, and the consummation of the transaction is not subject to any financing contingencies. In connection with the transaction, T-Mobile expects to conduct an exchange offer under which holders of certain UScellular debt with a face value of approximately $2 billion will be offered the opportunity to participate in an exchange offer of their UScellular debt for T-Mobile debt.  

T-Mobile does not expect the transaction to impact the company’s 2024 guidance or 2024 authorised shareholder return program. The operator said it expects this transaction will yield approximately $1 billion in effective total opex and capex annual run rate cost synergies upon integration, with total cost to achieve the integration currently estimated at between $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion. 

The amount of any debt exchanged will serve to reduce the cash payable to UScellular. Up to $100 million of the cash purchase price is contingent on achieving certain financial and operational metrics between signing and closing. The purchase price is also subject to other potential adjustments, as specified in the purchase agreement. 

Regulatory hurdles 

The transaction is expected to close in mid-2025, subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Given that it took T-Mobile 13 months to complete the Mint Mobile acquisition – which involved no spectrum assets or infrastructure – the regulators are going to be scrutinising this one very closely.  

Needless to say, T-Mobile is extolling the competivie advantages of the deal from the outset. “This transaction will create a much-needed choice for wireless in areas with expensive and limited plans from AT&T and Verizon, and for those that have been limited to one or no options for home broadband connectivity,” the operator said in a statement.

“By tapping into the additional capacity and coverage created through the combined spectrum and wireless assets, T-Mobile will spur competition and expand its fast-growing home broadband offering and fixed wireless products to communities without competitive broadband options.” 

Ghana’s wholesale 5G network strategy springs surprises

Annie Turner
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0
Ghana’s wholesale 5G network strategy springs surprises

A consortium of local of entities, plus the government, two major Indian companies, Nokia, Microsoft and others are providing the tech and know-how

Last August, Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitalization announced the country would build a single 5G wholesale national network instead of auctioning spectrum to the country’s mobile operators. The plan is to make the network available to service provides using a Network-as-a-Service model in six months’ time, which looks mighty ambitious.

At last year’s announcement, the Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (pictured) said the “neutral shared infrastructure company” would deliver 4G and 5G services nationwide – fixed wireless access as well as mobile – to consumers and businesses, urban and rural. Ghana’s population is about 33 million. The services will be available to the three public network operators, but also to private companies. The Ministry said only about 15% of Ghanaians have signed up for 4G so far.

Speed up, costs down

The plan is to speed up deployment while keeping costs down. A version of this model was pioneered in Malaysia, with similar motivations. Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) was set up in March 2021 to build the network. It is a special-purpose vehicle company, owned by the country’s Ministry of Finance, working with the country’s six mobile operators. After months of strife, including accusations that DNB was secretive and rows about budget, the scheme ground to a halt in April.

In Ghana, the authorities have awarded a consortium of local firms, the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a licence to deploy and run the shared 5G infrastructure. It will reportedly invest $145 billion over the next three years.

Telecel Ghana (formerly Vodafone Ghana is the second biggest operator with about 18% market share) and AT Ghana are both NGIC partners. AT Ghana (formerly Airtel Tigo) is the country’s third largest operator with a market share of about 13%. They will also be anchor tenants once the infrastructure is live.

There is no indication that the country’s dominant operator, MTN Ghana (with a market share of about 67%) will be involved in the NGIC at this stage, but it looks like it will be obliged to use the infrastructure as no other 5G spectrum is to be released.

Avoiding friction?

This may or may not prove to be a good move, given the considerable friction between parties inside the Malaysian experience. Clearly the government is keen to avoid further ructions. MTN gained much of its superior market power that the others claim inhibits competition when it ended up with the lion’s share of the 4G market.

The other NGIC partners include Ghana’s government. The African systems integrator Ascend Digital Solutions will own 55%. Its CEO, Harkirit Singh, who is also Executive Director at NGIC, commented, “We intend to gradually expand to other parts of Africa as well. We will tap the capital markets and bring in strategic investors as and when required.”

Replicate, replicate

While there is not a great deal of clarity around who is doing what exactly, there is mention of Microsoft and Nokia’s involvement, along with the local operator of teleport facilities for satellite, K-Net, plus Radisys which is part of the Indian Jio Platforms portfolio – and Jio knows a thing or two about rolling out infrastructure in record time.

Its sister company, operator Jio clocked up 50 million subscribers in less than three months  after launching its 4G network in India in 2016, shattering all previous records. Furthermore, as Jio Platforms said in a press statement, like Ascend Digital, “the goal is to replicate this high-speed mobile data model across Africa, beginning with Ghana.” 

This will be one to watch for its progress in Ghana itself, but also if the partnerships and model can translate easily to other African markets.

Google invests in terrestrial-subsea cable linking Kenya to Australia

Annie Turner
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0
Google invests in terrestrial-subsea cable linking Kenya to Australia

The company announces additional cybersecurity collaboration with the government of Kenya

Google continues its investment in Africa with the undersea cable, Umoja, to directly connect Africa and Australia. Umoja is Swahili for unity.

The cable will start on a terrestrial route, starting in Kenya, then crossing Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa before traversing the bed of the Indian Ocean and landing in Australia (see graphic provided by Google).

Google opened its first sub-Saharan African office in Nairobi in 2007. From that base, it has partnered many African governments on various digital initiatives. In 2021, Google pledged to invest $1 billion in Africa over five years on initiatives to improve connectivity, invest in startups and help the continent’s digital transformation.

The company has invested more than $900 million so far and says it expects to achieve its investment target by 2026.

Power of partnerships

Umoja’s overland route was constructed in partnership with Liquid Intelligent Technologies (LIT), a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies. The pan-African network operator and techco has a presence in 21 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Its fibre broadband infrastructure spans more than 110,000 km.

It also provides wholesale cloud and cyber security solutions to public and private enterprises and SMEs via strategic partnerships with global players.

Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman and Founder of LIT, was quoted in a blog by Google’s Brian Quigley, VP, Global Network Infrastructure, Google Cloud, stating” “Africa’s major cities including Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, and Harare will no longer be hard-to-reach endpoints remote from the coastal landing sites that connect Africa to the world.

“They are now stations on a data superhighway that can carry thousands of times more traffic than currently reaches here. I am proud that this project helps us deliver a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind, regardless of how far they are from the technology centres of the world.”

Agreement with Kenya

Google has announced a second major project: it will sign a Statement of Collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Information Communications and The Digital Economy. The plan is to accelerate joint efforts in cybersecurity, data-driven innovation, digital upskilling and “responsibly and safely deploying AI for societal benefits”.

As part of the collaboration, Kenya’s Department of Immigration & Citizen Services is evaluating Google Cloud’s CyberShield solution and Mandiant expertise to strengthen itseCitizen platform. CyberShield is designed to help governments build cyberthreat capabilities, protect web-facing infrastructure and help teams develop skills and processes for security operations.

According to a report by the International Finance Corporation of Washington DC, cited by Google, between 2021 and the end of 2023, the company’s products and services provided more than $30 billion in economic activity across sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa’s internet economy has the potential to grow to $180 billion by 2025, equivalent to 5.2% of the continent’s GDP, according to the same analysis.

open eir opts for Comarch’s field service management to augment OSS

Annie Turner
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0
open eir opts for Comarch’s field service management to augment OSS

Ireland’s biggest wholesale operator is looking to become end users’ network of choice

open eir is upgrading customer experience in a bid to establish itself as users’ preferred network. The operator is Ireland’s largest supplier of wholesale broadband, data facilities, voice, international and managed communication services.

It supplies products and services to more than 60 national and international wholesale customers across a range of regulated and unregulated markets.

Better management of its 1,000 strong workforce in the field is at the centre of the operator’s modernisation. Open eir’s 1, field technicians provision and repair on all the networks, including copper, FTTC and FTTH infrastructure.

Field force

It opted for Comarch Field Service Management (FSM) platform to work with the OSS which handles thousands of orders daily. The new platform is designed to assign and manage the field force more efficiently.  It should also help reduce lead times to meet customers and allow users to track field technicians in real time and reschedule appointments themselves.

The Comarch solution includes mobile apps, a geographic information system, augmented reality and secure data that ultimately are expected to boost end users’ end-user satisfaction.

Brian Chapman, CIO at eir Ireland, said, “Our general strategy is to develop bespoke software solutions tailored to meet our unique business needs. We engage with partners only when they offer a compelling, industry-leading product that aligns perfectly with our business requirements.

“Comarch has proven their capability to meet these criteria through our thorough RFP process. We are eager to collaborate on implementing their solution, which promises to enhance FSM capabilities at open eir and improve the customer experience we provide.”

Polish Open Fiber (PŚO) launches bitstream access to its HFC network 

Simon Dux
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0
Polish Open Fiber (PŚO) launches bitstream access to its HFC network 

By doing so, the wholesale carrier adds 3.8m households to its current addressable market of 400,000 FTTH customers

Wholesale fibre network operator Polski Światłowód Otwarty (PŚO) has rolled out bitstream access (BSA) across its HFC network and has confirmed the first retail subscribers are already using the network. 

While the operator has been offering BSA on its fibre network, which reaches 400,000 households, the HFC BSA service increases the telco’s reach but around 3.4 million households. By introducing BSA, it means retail operators can gain access to both networks making the technical integration far easier given they will be able to connect to the HFC network in the same way and with the same equipment as to PŚO’s FTTH network. 

Last July, PŚO – part-owned by Iliad’s Polish mobile operator Play – raised PLN5.13bn (US$1.25bn) to upgrade from HFC to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and expand its network footprint. The investment programme is aiming to increase the current footprint to more than six million – and remain open access. The existing PŚO network covers households in 14 provinces and almost 200 municipalities in Poland. 

The new BSA service solves the conundrum of what to do on the HFC network in the meantime. Now, retail providers can manage their own IP addresses meaning they can roll out IPTV and VoIP services with PŚO.  

“We started work on implementing the BSA model on the HFC network almost a year ago,” said PŚO CTO Krzysztof Sidor. “The biggest challenge was to develop a way to efficiently serve consumer lines in a standard specific to the HFC network. This meant not only preparing a network solution, but also appropriate IT tools that automate the delivery and maintenance of such services.”  

He added: “The tests we conducted showed that the solution works flawlessly and is of high quality. The operators we cooperate with will soon start using it.”  

PŚO chief commercial officer, Michal Banasiuk said the operator wanted partners partners to feel no difference between using HFC and FTTH technology. “The launch of BSA simplifies access and service provisioning on the PŚO network. It allows the operator to use one API and the same points of contact for both technologies,” he said. “Order placement and processing also look identical, so the operator doesn’t even have to wonder whether it is activating the service on the FTTH or HFC network.” 

He added: “At the same time, we are intensively upgrading our HFC infrastructure to the FTTH standard. At present, few subscribers need Internet access at speeds of up to 5Gbps, but we know this will change in the future. We will be ready for that future.” 

Currently, most of PŚO’s HFC network allows subscribers to reach speeds of up to 1Gbps. On the FTTH network, thanks to XGS-PON, PŚO offers access speeds of up to 5Gbps. Last month PŚO added 12,811 new households from 29 localities to its FTTH network. The operator also upgraded its HFC network to FTTH in 48,601 households. By 2028, it plans to expand by two million new households to eventually cover more than six million. Currently, there are already more than 3.8 million households in its footprint.  

Belgian consumers are seeing cheaper mobile prices 

Simon Dux
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0
Belgian consumers are seeing cheaper mobile prices 

Belgium is the latest market to demonstrate that in stark contrast to other sectors like energy, telecoms pricing has not increased and in many cases has fallen

The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) is the latest regulator to produce a report showing that consumers in the telecom sector have benefitted from lower pricing over the past five years despite inflation-driven price rises in most countries last year.  

The telecoms sector is now one of the few sectors that can clearly demonstrate favourable market conditions for consumers, in contrast to energy, food and transportation to name a few. This comes at a time when the ROCE (return on capital employed) of ETNO members has almost halved in the recent past: in 2017 ROCE was 9.1%, while in 2022 it was 5.8%, signalling that it is increasingly difficult for European telcos to generate adequate returns on their investment. 

The BIPT examined the price evolution of mobile subscriptions between January 2019 and January 2024 on the basis of ten consumer profiles differentiated in terms of their mobile data needs. 

From 2021 to 2024, the price of the cheapest subscription for consumers with data needs of 1, 2 or 5GB remained stable at €15 per month. For users with data needs of at least 10GB per month, cheaper subscriptions will be available in 2024 than in 2019. For 10GB per month, consumers had to pay at least €27 five years ago, while the cheapest subscription for this cost only €15 euro in January 2024. 

The minimum price for a subscription with at least 20GB per month has dropped significantly from €39 in 2019 to €15 in 2024. For a 100GB data requirement, the minimum price fell from €50 per month in 2021 to €39 in 2024. 

Similar story in the UK 

In January UK regulator Ofcom pointed out that inflation-plus price formulas led to some customers experiencing large price rises in 2023. However, it added that average broadband and mobile prices have fallen in real terms in the last five years. Ultrafast promoted prices reduced by 15% and superfast list prices reduced by 13%. Average list and promoted prices for standard broadband dual-play bundles decreased by 5% and 9% respectively. 

The average monthly price of mobile phone services, excluding handset costs, fell by 33% in real terms the five years to 2023, despite average data use having increased by 249% over this period. 

Belgium’s increasing competition 

BIPT found that virtually all brands offer subscriptions with significantly more mobile data than five years ago. However, prices still vary considerably from brand to brand, with a clear gap between secondary and premium brands. 

In 2021, subscriptions for consumers with very high data requirements (from 100GB) have appeared on the market, with prices falling in recent years. For data requirements of around 10GB and 200 GB, the minimum amount has fallen from €50 per month in 2021 to €39 and €47 respectively in 2024. However, the choice remains due to the limited number of brands offering such data volumes.  

Secondary brands – the low-cost brands launched by the larger telcos – are not present in this segment. In January 2024, consumers needing at least 200GB could choose between only two brands. 

Digi arrival is anticipated 

The major operators have already anticipated the arrival of the fourth network operator Digi by launching secondary brands such as Scarlet, Mobile Vikings and hey! Although price indexations are still happening, they are often part of a “more for more” strategy, with an increase in data volumes.  

Despite the favourable evolution for Belgian consumers, BIPT concludes there is still room for improvement. The regulator’s international price study in December 2023 showed that Belgium is still significantly more expensive than its neighbours in terms of both limited (up to 10GB) and very high data packages (from 100GB).  

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