Digi Belgium, the joint venture between Belgian B2B connectivity provider Citymesh and Romania’s RCS&RDS, has struck a national roaming agreement with Proximus. The company claimed the deal marks a significant milestone in Digi Belgium’s plans to enter the mobile market, as it guarantees a five-year access right to Proximus’ mobile network. In parallel, Proximus has agreed to sell the new entrant around 400 mobile antenna sites, significantly accelerating Digi Belgium’s rollout. The sites will be transferred to InSky, the company responsible for deploying the infrastructure of Digi and Citymesh.
In a press release announcing the deal, Citymesh group chief strategy officer Ward Van Ooteghem said: ’We’re on schedule! In 2022, together with RCS&RDS, we acquired the package for the new Belgian telecom player. Creating a complete nationwide Digi network will take a few years, but thanks to this agreement, we can combine the strong Proximus coverage with the rollout of our own Digi network. This way, we can enter the market in 2024 with a comprehensive mobile offering for both consumers and business clients.’
Citymesh Group CEO Mitch De Geest added: ‘These were complex negotiations. Many thanks to all parties involved for their positive mindset and willingness to make this project succeed. This agreement is a crucial step in our masterplan. The goal remains to break the status quo in Belgium and demonstrate that quality and fair offerings are possible here too. We will be announcing the concrete plans very soon.’
Commenting on the agreement, Proximus Group CEO Guillaume Boutin said: ‘I am convinced we have reached an agreement that benefits all parties involved. The fact that Digi Communications Belgium and Citymesh Connect choose to collaborate with Proximus, highlights our mobile excellence and proves the strength of our open network strategy, allowing us to capture value out of the capacity, coverage and performance of our gigabit networks.’