Digi enters Belgian market with low-cost mobile plans
Belgium has gained a new, fourth, telecom operator with Digi. This news is more than welcome, because until now in the country only three players were selling full-fledged telecom bundles. The new player, Digi, will compete with Telenet, Orange, and Proximus. Digi immediately hits the ground running with low-cost mobile plans in Belgium below those of its competitors.
Digi will initially use Proximus’ 4G network and is working on rolling out its own 4G/5G network.
“We are on a mission to make telecom affordable for all Belgians. Today we are taking a first step to provide access to quality services at a fair price,” said Jeroen Degadt, general manager of Digi Belgium. “We design, test and build everything ourselves.”
Digi Belgium ‘s low-cost mobile plans
A mobile subscription is already available for 5 euros per month. For that amount, you can make unlimited calls and texts and get 15 GB of mobile data volume.
-
- With the three other telecom operators, you pay at least 14 euros per month.
- Note: Those who use more than the stipulated 15 GB pay 0.60 euros per additional GB.
Furthermore, you can take out an Internet subscription starting at 10 euros per month. For that amount, you can surf and download (unlimited) at a speed of up to 500 Mbps. It is also possible to opt for a different formula. If you pay 15 euros a month, the download speed goes up to 1 Gbps. For 20 euros a month, that’s even 10 Gbps per month.
Again, Digi dives solidly below the prices of its competitors. They offer formulas whose price tag is at least 28 euros per month.
International and roaming prices
No worries when you cross an international border. Check DIgi Belgium prices, and you’ll never find an unpleasant surprise on your bill.
Using roaming with your DIGI Mobile subscription in a member country of the European Union is the same as if you were using it in Belgium.
Please find the list of countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
Warning: Switzerland and Andorra are not part of the European Union. Roaming is not free there. If you are traveling to or transiting through these countries, we advise you to deactivate your roaming.
Outside Europe:
- Check roaming tariffs
- Data Roaming Alert: to protect you from excessive surcharges, a data roaming alert is set to 60,50€ VAT incl. when you’re abroad. The connection will be blocked as soon as the defined limit is reached. You can then either stop calling, sending SMS and surfing or extend your limit for the current billing cycle (by using MyDIGI App). If so, your connection will then be automatically reopened.
TV and fixed internet
Digi is also launching its own limited fixed internet service over a fibre network, with subscriptions costing 10, 15, and 20 euros. The offer is currently only available in the Anderlecht district of Cureghem, but the company is aiming for a rapid rollout elsewhere in Brussels and other cities.
Within five years, it hopes to connect up to 2 million households to its network, and it intends to also launch its own TV service.
Digi Belgium is a joint venture between Belgium’s Citymesh, which offers telecom services to businesses, and Romanian telecoms group Digi, which already operates in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Romania. It will offer its services in Belgium alongside existing providers Proximus, Telenet, and Orange.
“For far too long, Belgian consumers have paid too much for their telephony because the market was dominated by three big players”
Markets with four mobile operators offer average prices that are more than 50 percent lower than in countries with three operators, Valentin Popoviciu of Digi said at the launch.
Consumer association Test Achats welcomed the development. “For far too long, Belgian consumers have paid too much for their telephony, in comparison with other European countries, because the market was dominated by three big players,” a spokesperson said.
Shares in Proximus, which is majority-owned by the Belgian government, fell some 7 percent since the launch of Digi Belgium, to 5.12 euros, its lowest level this year.
