Telenet and Fluvius, the Flemish gas and electricity grid operator, have agreed on a non-binding letter of intent regarding the development of their hybrid fiber optic / coaxial cable (‘HFC’) network infrastructure in Flanders, announces the operator Thursday morning. With this signature, the two organizations are taking a new step in the realization of the ‘data network of the future’.
This network aims to bridge the digital divide in Flanders. “It will be completely open, ultra-efficient, available to businesses and families, both in urban and rural areas, and deployed at the lowest social cost”, specifies Telenet. Telenet now operates its own HFC network in around two thirds of Flanders and Brussels. Fluvius, for its part, has its own network in the remaining part (one third). Thanks to a long-term rental contract, Telenet can offer telecommunications services to residential and business customers on the Fluvius network until 2046, and thus serve all of Flanders and part of Brussels. While Telenet has introduced a mix of HFC and fiber optics in its network strategy in recent years. “So that future generations can also benefit from the best digital experiences, Telenet and Fluvius intend to gradually introduce more optical fiber into their existing networks”, explains the operator. More specifically, more fiber will be deployed in the last mile, from the street to the customer’s home, which will effectively establish the ‘Fiber to the Home’ network. Telenet and Fluvius say they are convinced that access to fast and quality data connections for all is crucial in the world of tomorrow: “the 300 towns and municipalities of Flanders, all indirect shareholders of Fluvius, consider this access to be a necessity social “, can we read in the press release. To deploy this ‘data network of the future’, Telenet and Fluvius intend to create a new independent and self-financing infrastructure company, already called ‘NetCo’.
This network aims to bridge the digital divide in Flanders. “It will be completely open, ultra-efficient, available to businesses and families, both in urban and rural areas, and deployed at the lowest social cost”, specifies Telenet. Telenet now operates its own HFC network in around two thirds of Flanders and Brussels. Fluvius, for its part, has its own network in the remaining part (one third). Thanks to a long-term rental contract, Telenet can offer telecommunications services to residential and business customers on the Fluvius network until 2046, and thus serve all of Flanders and part of Brussels. While Telenet has introduced a mix of HFC and fiber optics in its network strategy in recent years. “So that future generations can also benefit from the best digital experiences, Telenet and Fluvius intend to gradually introduce more optical fiber into their existing networks”, explains the operator. More specifically, more fiber will be deployed in the last mile, from the street to the customer’s home, which will effectively establish the ‘Fiber to the Home’ network. Telenet and Fluvius say they are convinced that access to fast and high-quality data connections for all is crucial in the world of tomorrow: “the 300 towns and municipalities of Flanders, all indirect shareholders of Fluvius, consider this access to be a necessity social “, can we read in the press release. To deploy this ‘data network of the future’, Telenet and Fluvius intend to create a new independent and self-financing infrastructure company, already called ‘NetCo’.
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