The Court of Appeal (Hof van Beroep) in Brussels has ruled that alternative operators have access to the Telenet network, including incumbent Proximus (Belgacom).
In 2011 the Belgian regulator BIPT ruled that the major cable companies had to open up their networks for other operators. The three cablers involved are Telenet (for Flanders), Brutélé (in Brussels) and Tecteo in the French and German speaking parts of the country.
The three operators immediately started legal proceedings to bar other parties from using their networks, but all have been unsuccessful. Mobistar is already preparing a launch on the cable networks, but until now Proximus (Belgacom) – being the incumbent – was not allowed to access the cable nets. The Brussels Court of Appeal had now ruled that not only Mobistar, but also Proximus has access to the Telenet network. The cases of the other operators, Brutél´and Tecteo, are still pending.
Telenet is not pleased with the latest outcome, and there is still one further appeal possible. “We are disappointed, but we still have to study the judgment carefully,” commented Telenet spokesperson Stefan Coenjaerts.
