Proximus, also known as Belgacom Mobile, is the largest 2G GSM and 3G UMTS operator of Belgium.
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History
Proximus was founded in 1994 as a 75%-25% joint venture between Belgacom and Airtouch, respectively. Airtouch was later merged with Vodafone. Starting January 1994, Proximus took over the operatorship of the old MOB2 analog network, as well as the new second generation GSM network, originally only in the GSM900 range. The obsolete MOB2 network was retired in 1999. When necessary, Proximus can also use GSM 1800 to complement its network.
It was originally a de facto monopoly, but after deregulation Mobistar, a second GSM 900 operator soon joined the game in 1998, followed by BASE, then known as KPN-Orange in 1999. Despite the aggressive price offerings of the latter two, especially BASE, Proximus still has continued growing its customer base to some 4.500.000 customers, just a little over 50% of the market now considered as saturated.
Company
Proximus is a subsidiary of Belgacom, which had an IPO in 2004 but remains more than 50% state owned. A 25% share was owned by the Vodafone Group until 2006, when Vodafone agreed to sell its stake to Belgacom. In 2004, it had a revenue of €2239 million and an EBITDA of €1135 million.
