Belgian cable operator VOO has announced its customers in Namur can now access download speeds of up to 1Gbps, claiming the most recent upgrade is another step towards achieving its aim to offer gigabit connectivity to half of households in Wallonia and everywhere in Brussels by the end of 2023 and throughout its footprint by 2027/28. First rolled out in 2021, the service was already available in 25 municipalities in Wallonia (including Liege, Wavre and Charleroi) and another six in the Brussels-Capital region at the end of 2022, equivalent to 25% of total homes passed by VOO’s network, while the operator has indicated Louvain-la-Neuve, La Louviere and 15 municipalities in Hainault, Brabant and Liege will soon follow. Overall, a further 170,000 will be able to access VOO’s Giga Max packages by next July.
Ahead of the proposed takeover by Orange Belgium, VOO has also revealed plans to deploy an additional 230km of optical fibre with the aim to extend gigabit connectivity to so-called ‘white zones’ with no reliable fixed broadband coverage, including the municipalities of Ohey, Ardenne, Durbuy, Houffalize, Tenneville, Bertogne, Noville, Frasnes-les-Anvaing, Celles and Ellezelles and villages around Tournai. The planned investment of around EUR30 million (USD32 million) will be partially financed by a EUR17 million grant from the Wallonia regional government. The company said it remains in talks with the authorities with a view to securing further subsidies.