KPN Orange to delay 3G rollout

date: January 22, 2002 - source: BWCS

According to reports in the Belgian press, KPN Orange is to push back the launch of its 3G service. National daily business paper, de Financieele Telegraaf claims that the operator is having difficulties developing its network. Apparently the company has not been granted sufficient building permits for the construction of its 3G network base stations. The operator is also citing a lack of 3G mobile handsets as another reason for delaying its service launch.

Initially, KPN Orange had planned to begin commercial 3G services in September of this year, but this looks likely to be postponed until spring 2003, at the earliest. The operator has yet to broach the subject of a later launch date with the Belgian government or the national telecoms regulator the BIPT. KPN Orange’s rival Proximus has already announced a delay to its planned 3G services.

In November, all three of the Belgian operators - Proximus, Mobistar and KPN Orange - have said that they would start legal proceedings against both federal and regional governments unless a clear set of rules was devised which offered some sort of clarity for rolling out their 3G networks. The operators have all become disillusioned with the lack of building permits being granted and served formal notices to regional and federal governments asking for a clearer permit process. The governments are blocking permits based on fears of health effects. The license terms required operators to start offering commercial services from September next year and have 30 per cent population coverage by March 2004.

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