Joint Press Release Brussels, 23 December 2016
Walloon government and mobile operators seal agreement for an even more connected Wallonia
The Walloon government and mobile operators have announced that they have reached an agreement in principle on the issue of taxing mobile infrastructures, paving the way for an ambitious collaboration on the digital Wallonia of tomorrow.
In the framework of the digital strategy for Wallonia, "Digital Wallonia", Jean-Claude Marcourt, Vice-Minister-President and Minister of Economy and Foreign Commerce of the Walloon Government, confirms his willingness to make Wallonia a "Giga Region": "An ambitious policy for deploying super-fast mobile needs to be accompanied by measures designed to encourage operators to invest in their networks throughout the territory". And he adds, "We are creating, together with all the stakeholders of the sector, favorable conditions for the rapid development of high-speed connectivity for the benefit of the Region's economy. New opportunities will be offered to all companies and the population".
This agreement states that the Walloon Region undertakes to no longer levy any taxes on telecom infrastructure and to implement a legislative, regulatory and administrative framework designed to facilitate the deployment of this infrastructure. As well, the parties have agreed on how to settle the still unresolved dispute to the amount of 45 million euro for all operators. Minister for the Budget Christophe Lacroix adds that "We are creating a predictability that is favorable to all stakeholders, while guaranteeing operators a suitable legal framework and a fiscal framework conducive to investment".
Lastly, the Region will emphasise to the municipalities and provinces the benefit, for all parties, with a view to optimal development of connectivity in the territories, of not taxing mobile infrastructure in the future, a point still being disputed on principle by telecom operators.
Meanwhile, mobile operators have agreed to invest a total of 60 million euro over the next three years on top of the investment already planned as part of their Walloon region investment plans for this period.
The goal of this additional investment is to reinforce the super-fast coverage of residential areas that have a certain shortfall, as well as in areas with a particular advantage or specific needs (areas of economic, industrial and commercial activity).
"This agreement puts an end to a period of uncertainty for Wallonia", claims Paul Furlan, Minister of Local Government and City Policy, who explains that, "these new bases are also aimed at encouraging local authorities to promote investments and connectivity in their area".
"This is a balanced agreement that gives the region every chance of achieving its digital strategy while also allowing for open collaboration with the government in the interests of citizens, businesses and competitiveness", emphasises Jean-Marc Galand, Manager of the GSM Operators Forum (GOF).
Contact operators Jean-Marc Galand, GSM Operators Forum Manager - jean-marc.galand@agoria.be - 0497 26 66 28 Contact gouvernement Gaël Lambinon, Minister Marcourt's spokesman - gael.lambinon@gov.wallonie.be - 0472 45 59 87
About Orange Belgium
Orange Belgium is one of the leading telecommunication operators on the Belgian market, with over 3 million customers, and in Luxembourg through its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg. As a convergent actor, we provide mobile telecommunication services, internet and TV to private clients, as well as innovative mobile and fixed line services to businesses. Our high-performance mobile network supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ technology and is the subject of ongoing investments. Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the leading European and African operators for mobile telephony and internet access, as well as one of the world leaders for telecommunication services to enterprises. Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL). More information on: corporate.orange.be , www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter : @pressOrangeBe.
Press contact Annelore Marynissen - annelore.marynissen@orange.com - +32 (0) 479 01 60 58 Jean-Pascal Bouillon - jean-pascal.bouillon@orange.com - +32 (0) 473 94 87 31 press@orange.be Contact investors Siddy Jobe - ir@orange.be - +32(0)2 745 80 92
About Proximus Through its Proximus and Scarlet brands, Proximus (Euronext Brussels: PROX) is the main provider of telephony, Internet, television and ICT services through the network in Belgium. The company aims at offering the best customer experience and simplifying the lives of residential and business customers and administrations by offering accessible and easy-to-use solutions. Proximus's interconnected and high-performance fixed line and mobile networks offer access to digital data and services, as well as a wide range of multimedia content, anytime and anywhere. Proximus is active in Luxembourg through its subsidiaries Telindus Luxembourg and Tango, as well as in the Netherlands through Telindus Netherlands. Its subsidiary BICS delivers best-in-class international wholesale solutions to providers of voice and mobile data services around the world. At the end of 2015, Proximus employed about 14,000 people and generated a turnover of 5,994 billion euro. For more information, visit: www.proximus.com and www.proximus.be
Proximus Press Relations (press@proximus.com): +32 (0)2 202 44 44
Jan Margot Haroun Fenaux + 32 475 58 50 37 +32 476 60 03 33
About Telenet/BASE As a Belgian provider of entertainment and telecommunications services, the Telenet Group is constantly seeking excellence for its customers in the digital world. Under the Telenet brand, the company provides cable television, super-fast broadband and fixed line and mobile telephony services to the residential market in Flanders and Brussels. The group also supplies mobile telephony services under the BASE brand throughout Belgium. As well, Telenet Business department offers connectivity, hosting and security solutions for the business sectors in Belgium and Luxembourg. Its more than 3,000 employees share the common goal of making life and work easier and more pleasant. The Telenet Group is part of Telenet Group Holding Ltd. and is listed on Euronext Brussels under the stock market symbol TNET. For more information, visit www.telenet.be .
Telenet press contacts: Coralie Miserque (French) coralie.miserque@telenetgroup.be +32 (0)484 00 6442 Isabelle Geeraerts (Dutch) isabelle.geeraerts@telenetgroup.be +32 15 33 55 44 Investors' Contact : Rob Goyens rob.goyens@telenetgroup.be +32 15 33 30 54
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