The price increases for Orange, Proximus and Telenet services have all been effective since January 17.
According to Test Achats, the three largest telecom operators in Belgium have increased their prices almost every year since 2014. And in January 2022, the trend continues.
Proximus’ old internet-television-telephone packs have been more expensive since January 1, 2022. At Orange, fixed internet and television have increased their prices since January 17.
Orange, always cheaper than its competitors
The prices for Orange’s Love, Home and Boost offers have risen since January 17. Clearly, the operator imposes an additional 3 euros per month on all its “Internet + TV” packs.
Thus, LOVE packages with fixed internet increase by 2 euros per month, and LOVE packages with fixed internet and digital TV, by 3 euros per month. The Love Trio bundle with Go Plus and fixed telephony is offered at 78 euros per month.
The operator’s services therefore become more expensive, but remain cheaper than those of its competitors. At the house of Proximus and Telenet, the cheapest all-inclusive package is 85.99 and 86 euros per month respectively. This is about 8 euros less than that offered by Orange.
A “surprise” increase
This is Orange’s first price increase since the launch of the LOVE package. An increase in operator prices “surprising” according to Purchasing test. On its site, the consumer association recalls a statement by Orange in the face of the increasingly high prices of its competitors: “Such price increases are not necessary to maintain or develop investments in innovation and the quality of the network, products and services”.
To justify these new prices, Orange cites the increase in salary and energy costs, the rise in the price of modems and decoders due to the worldwide shortage of computer chips and finally, the increase in rental costs. Indeed, Orange must pay a certain sum to Telenet and VOO to use their networks.
According to Test Achats, this third explanation is less and less legitimate since the operator formalized its takeover of VOO at the end of 2021. An acquisition “which will allow Orange to considerably increase its presence in the Belgian telecom landscape”,adds Test Purchases.
Proximus slashes prices
The price increase does not only concern “all-inclusive” packages. For example, since 1 January, the Proximus Phone Line now costs 24.63 euros per month, compared to 24.13 in 2021 and 22.13 euros in 2017. This represents an increase of 2% between 2021 and 2002, and d about 10% in five years.
The Internet + TV, Minimus and Famillimus/Tuttimus packages increase by 1.50 euro per month. Finally, the Start, Internet + Tel and Tel + TV packages assume an increase of 1 euro. “At the beginning of the year, Proximus traditionally increases the prices of the “old” bundles […] in order to push customers towards the new Flex plans”, illustrates Test Purchases. Finally, the price of a second decoder also increases. It goes from 6 to 8 euros per month. The TV Replay + product is changing from 5 to 6 euros per month.
Note that the price of Proximus mobile subscriptions has not increased. In addition, customers with a fixed telephone subscription now pay 50 centimes more per month.
Orange follows the trend, Telenet is ahead
Orange’s Home Internet subscription, which only offers an Internet offer, has undergone a 5% increase. Concretely, it goes from 40 to 42 euros monthly. Similarly, all subscriptions including at least the operator’s fixed Internet increase by 2 euros per month.
Telenet has not planned to raise its prices. The group has already increased them last summer.
Record prices
The Belgian still pays more for his telecom subscriptions than his European neighbours. This is revealed by the latest comparative study by the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecoms (BIPT) published in December.
“Belgium is a country where the prices of telecommunications services are generally high compared to neighboring countries. While this observation must be qualified for certain needs, such as those concerning basic mobile services, for which Belgium is rather competitive, our country is generally more and more expensive compared to its neighbors as voice and data needs increase. increase”, says the report.
Indeed, for the same offer, the price of a Belgian subscription is almost four times more expensive than in France. One of the main reasons for these explosive prices would be the lack of competition on the Belgian market.
To move towards lower rates in the short term, “a review of wholesale tariffs for access to cable networks in 2023 and a fourth telecom operator seem to us to be the only options”, concludes Test Achats.