From November 1, Belgian internet service providers will no longer be able to force their customers to use their box, they will have to offer a technical solution for all those who wish to use their own equipment. Belgium thus joins several European countries which have adopted this measure for several years, including Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Invented by Free, the famous all-in-one box which combines the modem essential for connecting to the network, a Wi-Fi and wired router or even everything needed to operate the telephone line, will not disappear however and will undoubtedly remain the most popular option.
This measure should nevertheless allow those who wish to purchase their equipment and use it with any Belgian ISP. This approach has several advantages, including a financial one since you can buy your own equipment instead of renting it, even if the benefits are mainly technical. Choosing your own device allows, for example, to modify the DNS server used by your connection, to access more advanced settings in terms of port openings and redirections or simply opt for a more powerful model or one equipped with a more modern Wi-Fi router. Another advantage is that all these settings are retained when you change operator. On the other hand, you need to have some technical knowledge for the configuration and this undoubtedly explains why the majority of customers stay on the box provided by the ISP.
In any case, this is true in Germany where a study showed that only 3.5% of Vodafone customers had chosen to switch to their own equipment after the end of the obligation to use the box provided. This is a minority approach, of course, but these users are certainly delighted to have this option. Let’s hope that the idea makes headway and crosses the Belgian border to also establish itself in France. This could come through the European Union, as the Belgian Institute of Postal Services and Telecommunications (equivalent to the French Arcep) pointed out last year when it made its decision last year.
Finally, let us point out that the decision only concerns the main box, the one which generally contains the DSL or fiber modem and the Wi-Fi router. The box intended to be connected to the television will remain provided by the ISPs, due to the lack of a simple technical solution for support any user-provided hardware.
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