Proximus will roll out Walloon fiber via power poles ORES

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Proximus is partnering with ORES to roll out its fiber optic network in Wallonia. The partnership will allow the provider to serve less densely populated areas more easily.

Proximus is partnering with Walloon distribution system operator ORES to roll out its fiber optic network. ORES distributes gas and electricity in 200 of Wallonia’s 262 municipalities and covers about 75 percent of Wallonia’s territory. Proximus will now use the organization’s electricity poles to build its fiber optic network.

Faster and less disruption

Proximus wants to provide fiber to 70 percent of Belgian homes and businesses by 2028. The cooperation with ORES will accelerate the rollout in Wallonia. Moreover, thanks to the ubiquity of the utility, the network hit less densely populated areas faster. Finally, the laying of the fiber optic network via ORES’ electricity poles will cause less disruption to local residents.

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Proximus will roll out Walloon fiber via power poles ORES

ORES and Proximus have been working together since 2008. The Proximus network currently relies in most places on outdated vDSL2 technology to connect the network to the customer, but the backbone of the network already consists of fiber. Proximus currently already uses poles from ORES to connect its street cabinets to that fiber.

Successful test

The renewed cooperation follows a successful pilot project in Bouge, where 177 homes were connected via 2 kilometers of cable over 50 poles from ORES. That project will be immediately extended to 1,000 homes in the coming weeks. Proximus hopes the cooperation will ensure that the goal of 70 percent connected homes and businesses will be surpassed by 2028.