As of today, Orange Belgium is gradually opening its 5G network in Belgium, using the temporary spectrum allowed by the national regulator BIPT. Every eligible postpaid customer, including those of its b-brand hey! will be able to discover a much faster network experience, at no additional cost.
After establishing a solid leadership on 5G for B2B applications and services, together with major players of the industry in the country, and based on the increasing penetration of 5G devices on the Belgian market, Orange Belgium will now start with the roll out of this new-generation network for all its postpaid customers. Using the temporary spectrum provided by the BIPT, Orange Belgium is progressively activating 5G sites in Belgium, starting in Antwerp. Gent, the Coast and the cities of Bruges and Leuven will soon follow, before an extension of the opening of the service in other areas of the country when the spectrum allocation and evolution of the EMF norms will be further defined.
All postpaid customers of the operator, hey! customers included, will discover the perks of the new technology if they own an eligible and certified device: a connection up to 3 times faster than current 4G broadband, with a significantly reduced latency. An evolution which should offer a much better customer experience for increasingly popular services such as video calling, video streaming or gaming on the move.
Besides these advantages for the customers, 5G also has an impact on the environmental footprint of the infrastructure as its functioning allows a much more energy-efficient handling of the network in the long term, and more efficient traffic absorption.
Xavier Pichon, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Belgium: “Innovation and a customer-centric approach are key elements of Orange Belgium’s DNA. After proving the relevance of 5G for B2B customers and the future of the industry, we now feel it is time to extend the benefits of the technology to residential and business customers, to let them enjoy increased performance but also new experiences with no price increase. The deployment is phased, and we’re confident we’ll be able to provide a best in class experience and innovative, value adding services to all our customers in the near future, by clearly opting for the real 5G experience in terms of speed and performance.”