Belgium's Base to Launch HSPA By Year-End

­Belgium's Base, a subsidiary of the KPN Group, has announced that it intends to introduce HSPA services in the Belgian market by the end of 2009. The HSPA upgrade will be systematically rolled out further in line with the increasing demand for mobile data services on the consumer and SOHO-SME market.

Base already operates a national EDGE network, but says that it has held back on launching HSPA services pending the settlement of competition abuses by Belgacom. Earlier this year, the Belgium Competition Council fined the mobile network EUR 66.3 million (US$92.6 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant market position. The fine covered actions the mobile network operator carried out in 2004/5 to abuse its position as a subsidiary of Belgacom to squeeze out its competitors.

KPN Group Belgium markets the brands BASE, Ortel, Ay Yildiz, Chiama and Zoniq, and Tele2 as a separate entity.

Figures from the Mobile World database records that Base ended the first half of this year with 2.7 million active subscribers, representing a market share of around 24%

On the web: Base - Mobile World

Posted to the site on 31st August 2009