Belgian operator Belgacom has chosen to drop the Belgacom brand name for the services it offers in the country, choosing instead to brand all mobile, fixed and IT services under the Proximus brand. The change will come into effect at the end of 2014.

Dawinderpal Sahota

March 10, 2014

2 Min Read
Belgacom to brand all domestic Belgian services as Proximus
Operator group Belgacom SA has chosen to drop the Belgacom brand name for the services it offers in the country, choosing instead to brand all mobile, fixed and IT services under the Proximus brand

Belgian incumbent Belgacom has chosen to drop the Belgacom brand name for all domestic services, choosing instead to market all mobile, fixed and IT services under the existing Proximus brand. The change will come into effect at the end of 2014.

The operator group said that it has drawn up an “ambitious plan” to restore growth to the firm by 2016. It explained that fixed, mobile and IT technologies are converging and as a result, users are no longer concerned whether they read emails at work, via the mobile network or at home via wifi.

The operator group will continue to be named Belgacom SA and will continue trading on the Brussels Stock Exchange under the name of BCOM.BR. There will be no structural change to the business and the company will continue to be the employer of its 15,000-plus staff.

The brand name change will only have an effect in Belgium, as the group’s other brands, such as basic fixed and mobile telephony and internet products provider Scarlet, wholesale services firm BICS, Luxembourg mobile operator Tango and ICT services provider Telindus International will continue to exist as they were.

“Our customers’ needs are changing continuously and ever faster,” said Belgacom CEO Dominique Leroy.

“That applies to consumers and businesses alike. As a leading company in the Belgian telecoms market, we want to anticipate developments and offer our customers a superior and distinctive user experience which seamlessly combines all technologies.  Clear and simple communication is also a part of that. By taking the step towards a single commercial brand, Proximus, we are able to do so better than ever.”

Last month, Belgacom said it had activated a nationwide VDSL2 vectoring network which it said will deliver faster fixed broadband speeds to subscribers. The operator teamed up with infrastructure vendor Alcatel-Lucent as it looked to extend the capabilities of its DSL technology.

In January this year, Belgacom, under the brand name Proximus, announced that it had made LTE access available to all customers at no extra cost, going against the grain of operators charging a premium for the service.

All existing and new Proximus and Belgacom customers who want to use mobile internet with an LTE capable device now have automatic access to the an LTE network in Belgium with a coverage of more than 50 per cent and accessible in 260 cities and municipalities.

 

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