Proximus launches "Fiber for Kortrijk"
- In December 2016, Proximus announced "Fiber for Belgium", an investment plan of several billion euro over 10 years, to speed up the roll-out of optical fiber and so reach the majority of businesses and city centers in Belgium.
- Since then Proximus has already started rolling out fiber in 12 cities and now it's the turn of Kortrijk.
Here, Proximus presented the project “Fiber for Kortrijk". - The roll-out of fiber has started in the city center. To limit disruption, the works are being carried out in consultation with the city council.
- Fiber is the fixed network of the future: thanks to unprecedented speeds, with equal upload and download times, fiber is an enabler for new ways of living and working, resulting in very high customer satisfaction.
In the coming years, Kortrijk will be gradually served by fiber, and a large number of businesses and households will get access to the fixed communication network of the future. Seven industrial zones are already equipped with fiber, as a result of which more than 700 businesses can be connected to Proximus fiber. With the "Fiber for Kortrijk" project, Proximus is the first operator to bring fiber not only into new developments but also into existing homes. By the end of 2021, Proximus will have rolled out fiber to more than 7,000 homes and businesses in Kortrijk.
Proximus brings fiber into homes and businesses
Why is fiber necessary? In the coming years, data traffic and digital services will continue to grow exponentially, mainly driven by video and cloud applications and the Internet of Things. As a pioneer in network technologies, Proximus wants to anticipate the needs of its customers and prepare its infrastructure for the future.
That is why Proximus, a pioneer in fiber for many years, launched the "Fiber for Belgium" investment plan in 2016 to roll out fiber to the majority of businesses and city centers in Belgium.
Fiber is the ultimate broadband network of the future for residential and business customers alike. With optical fiber, all members of a household can surf, stream videos and engage in online gaming at the same time, without latency or loss of quality. They also benefit from the sharpest image on all screens. What's more, fiber is the ideal solution for business customers: they can utilize all the possibilities of the digital economy and remain competitive, agile and innovative thanks to future-proof, reliable and scalable technologies. The high speed facilitates the adoption of new ways of working and technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, connected objects and VR.
From a financial and operational perspective, it is wise to combine the deployment of fiber for businesses with the roll-out into existing homes in urban areas with a high population density. And that is exactly what Proximus will do in Kortrijk: roll out fiber for residential and business customers simultaneously.
Fiber technology will allow our customers to fully exploit the possibilities of the digital era and will boost download and upload speeds in Belgium to an unprecedented level. In the coming months, residents living in the Kortrijk city center will be able to discover for themselves that fiber offers the ultimate broadband experience for surfing, streaming, gaming and working at the speed of light. We will give everyone the opportunity to connect to fiber, even those who are not yet Proximus customers.
A new phase in the digital revolution in Kortrijk
The roll-out of fiber will offer Kortrijk residents and businesses a major asset: access to the most advanced digital services, which will benefit growth and employment in the city and region. This fixed network of the future also opens up a world of opportunities for the further digitalization of Kortrijk as a "smart city". In the future, fiber networks will become an essential part of every city’s infrastructure, just like water or electricity.
Timing of the works
With regard to equipping the city with fiber, Proximus has divided Kortrijk into three zones: The roll-out will take place in a number of phases, always in consultation with the city council.
- In 2019 Proximus started with the dimensioning of the supply network.
- In 2019-2020 it will be the turn of the different zones
- By the end of 2021, Fiber in Kortrijk will have been rolled out to more than 7,000 connectable homes and businesses, including about 2,000 new-build homes in new development projects (such as Project Barco Theodor Sevens, residentie Reepkaai, and K-Tower Diksmuidekaai).
Impact of the works
The impact of the works will be kept to a minimum. Before the works start, Proximus will carry out an analysis to optimize the roll-out and will opt as much as possible for wall mounting instead of an underground installation, especially in built-up areas. This way, only a small number of streets and pavements need to be broken up and the roll-out proceeds much faster and with limited inconvenience for the residents.
A large-scale information campaign
Proximus will communicate openly and transparently with all residents and businesses in the areas where fiber will be deployed. Proximus is proactively contacting each business individually to see which fiber solution best fits its specific needs. Local residents will be extensively informed of the roll-out and advantages of fiber through a communication plan tailored to them, including an 0800 number, information in the shops, and local info sessions. The commercial advantages will also be communicated in detail.
