According to a report by FOD Economie, Belgium ranks last within the EU for fiber optic rollout. Nevertheless, the majority of the population has access to high-performance internet.
In the Digital Economy Report, FOD Financien examines the Belgian digital landscape. Overall, our country receives a positive evaluation, although there are areas of concern. The availability of fiber optics and “gigabit internet” in Belgium is much lower than in other EU countries. For fiber optic rollout, Belgium even ranks last.
The coverage rate of FTTP fiber optics, a network consisting entirely of fiber optics, was 30% in 2024. Despite a 6% increase compared to 2023, Belgium is far below the European average of 69%. Of the 27 member states of the European Union, no one performs worse than Belgium. Romania is the European champion with 95%.
For fast internet, Belgium is not the place to be. However, connections with a speed of 1 Gbps or more remain rare, even though telecom providers do offer them. According to the report, five percent of Belgian households have access to “gigabit internet”; the European average is 22 percent.
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Belgium Lags in Fiber Optic Rollout (but That’s not a Disaster)
Not Fast, but Reliable
FOD Economie puts into perspective the impact of the slow fiber optic rollout on the general internet experience of Belgians. While we may not have the fastest internet in Europe, the networks are generally reliable. The good old coaxial cable still does its job, and hybrid networks with coax and fiber optics also offer a viable alternative.
93% of Belgians have access to a high-capacity internet network. This places Belgium in the better half of the pack. The European average is 82%. Among our neighboring countries, the Netherlands (98%) and Luxembourg (95%) perform better. Only Malta achieves a 100% high-capacity coverage rate.
Regarding 5G rollout, Belgium is also part of the European pack after a difficult start. 2024 was the year of the intermediate sprint: the coverage rate increased from 40% to 96% compared to 2023. Belgium is just above the European average (94.35%).