Last summer, Telenet and Fluvius established a fiber joint venture (JV) in Belgium, which has recently unveiled its new identity as Wyre, just in time for the network rollout scheduled to begin next month. The rebranding of the company, previously known as NetCo, features the letter ‘y’ at its center, representing ‘you’ and the operator’s goal to “take everyone into the digital future” through network upgrades.
The main focus of Wyre lies in its upcoming network rollout, rather than the company’s name. The joint venture between Liberty Global’s Telenet and utility networks company Fluvius was initiated with the aim of upgrading their hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networks to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), or in some cases, adding new DOCSIS technology to the cable where FTTH would not be feasible. The goal of the JV is to upgrade 78% of their combined footprint in Flanders to FTTH by 2038, through their own buildout and collaboration with external partners. This will include Telenet’s footprint in Brussels and parts of Wallonia.
The ambitious project carries a maximum cost of €2 billion, with the majority of the investment to be committed during the first eight years. In late May, the European Commission approved the project, which ensures that the Belgian market remains competitive despite its changing landscape, thanks to various access commitments.
Upon clearing the necessary regulatory hurdles, Wyre appointed Micha Berger as its chief executive. According to Telenet’s CEO, John Porter, they are “very happy that the European Commission has given us the green light to build the network of the future together with Fluvius”. Although the upgrade will be a time-consuming process, Belgian households can expect to see significant improvements soon, as Wyre is set to begin building its new network in early July.
