Belgium

Belgian Government sacks Belgacom CEO over criticism

The CEO of Belgian incumbent operator Belgacom, Didier Bellens, has been sacked by the state Government, which is the firm’s largest shareholder. The announcement was made late Friday by Prime Minister Elio di Rupo, who said that the Government was unable to tolerate the public criticisms that Bellens has recently levelled at it.

Belgian 800MHz auction raises €360m

Belgium’s three mobile operators, Belgacom, Mobistar and KPN-owned Base have each received 2 x 10MHz of 800MHz spectrum in the country’s latest spectrum auction, at a price of €120m per allocation. There were no other entrants in the auction, which was run by Belgian regulator BIPT.

America Movil eyes full control of KPN

Latin American operator group America Movil has made an offer to acquire the outstanding shares in Dutch operator group KPN. The Mexico-based firm already owns a 29.8 per cent stake in the operator but is looking to own it outright, or at least secure a majority share, as it steps up its efforts to expand further into Europe.

KPN sees Q3 profit drop by a third

Dutch operator group KPN has seen its quarterly net profit fall by 32 per cent year on year, and has blamed increased competition in the German market as a key factor for its poor performance. The operator recorded net profit of €250m for 3Q12, compared with the €368m it made in 3Q11. This was despite revenue falling by a comparatively modest 6.5 per cent year on year, from €3,256m to €3,044m.

Lack of interest scuppers KPN’s Base sale

Dutch incumbent KPN has called off the sale of its Belgian subsidiary Base after failing to receive a high enough offer. The firm said Wednesday morning that the sale was discontinued because “current difficult market conditions are reflected in unsatisfactory non-binding offers for Base.” KPN announced plans to sell the operation in June. It is also looking to divest German operation E-Plus.

Blyk brings in NSN to help with expansion

Ad funded MVNO Blyk announced plans to expand into Belgium on Thursday, tapping Nokia Siemens Networks to host its core network. Blyk, which launched its first services in the UK just over a year ago, is unusual no just in the fact that it has an ad funded business model, but also in that it […]

iPhone gets VoIP, operators get worried

Apple iPhone users will be able to circumvent cellular networks to make calls thanks to a voice over internet protocol app supplied by Belgian phone firm Nomado Telecom. The tech provider claims callers could make savings of up to 80 per cent connecting to the internet via the terminal’s wifi connection. Calls made via Nomado’s […]

SIMlock free iPhone comes to Belgium

The iPhone 3G will be available SIMlock free in Belgium on Friday, local operator Mobistar has revealed. Belgium is one of those European countries where forced bundling and device exclusivity are outlawed on networks. As a result, consumers have to pay a hefty price for the hardware, but they can use it on any network. […]

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