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Belgium has third best broadband access in the EU
Belgium is in third place when it comes to broadband access in the European Union, writes Knack based on a report from the European Commission. The report also shows that Belgian companies demonstrate superior technology integration.
According to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), fast broadband connections are available virtually everywhere in Belgium. In addition, 81% of Belgian connections have a speed of at least 30 Mbps, compared with an EU average of 37%. The Netherlands and Luxembourg lead in first and second place in terms of connectivity.
One of Belgium's weak points, however, is mobile connectivity. Only 68 in 100 people have mobile Internet access, far below the European average of 84%. There is also room for improvement in the field of digital government services, according to the DESI.
Overall, the DESI shows that Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands have the most advanced digital economies in the EU, followed by Luxembourg, Belgium, the UK and Ireland.
Comments
Under my street in BXL there is a DSL cable (max 4Mbps) - Proximus states that the infrastructure does not belong to them and therefore they do not know when it will be upgraded, but it will certainly happen before 2020 (because of some EU directive)... So quite funny to read that I live in a country that claims to be third in EU I guess my connection counts as 20Mbps, because that's what I pay for.
But what about the prices? I think Belgium is one of the most expensive in EU for internet and mobile prices thanks to proximus monopoly. The average montly payment of 70€ for a basic conection with a mobile contract.
Maybe Belgium is number 3 for internet accessibility but they must be number 1 for most expensive internet in Europe. And also top of the list for the country with the fewest providers. Not to forget: the Belgian government is majority shareholder in the Belgacom/Proximus + Scarlet group.