New technique to improve connectivity in rural areas

The deployment of broadband Internet in rural areas is a challenge in most countries of the world. Although Belgium is among the top 3 European countries with the best broadband coverage (more than 99% in 2019), Proximus is constantly looking for innovative solutions to further improve this coverage, as part of its Digital Inclusion strategy.

Up to 100 Mbit/s internet speed

In this context, a new technique for building optimised trenches was tested in December 2020 to bring optical fiber to particularly isolated villages (Limerlé and Rettigny) in the commune of Gouvy. This technique, which allows for an optimized deployment at lower costs and in less time than trenching carried out in the traditional way, is explained in this video:

By bringing fiber to an optical cabinet located in the heart of these villages, most residents and small businesses who previously had a limited Internet experience (download speeds of less than 7 Mbit/s) will be able to benefit from download speeds of 50 to 100 Mbit/s once the works are completed.

Constant innovation for better connectivity

We also use two other techniques to connect these optical cabinets (located in remote villages) to our network:

• A radio link between a small mast placed close to our optical cabinet;
• The laying of aerial fiber optics on the poles of the electricity distributors.