A
telecommunications business in Belgium is incorporated following the same procedure available for any other
type of commercial company. However, this type of entities must obtain business licenses which are specific for the
telecommunications field.
The telecommunications industry in Belgium provides a wide range of services, aligned with the current needs of the population. Investors can
open a company in Belgium which can provide
fixed or mobile telecommunication services, but it is important to know that the latter gained a lot of popularity amongst the
Belgian population. When
setting up a telecommunications business it is advisable to receive assistance from local specialists and
our team of company formation representatives in Belgium can assist in any legal matter referring to this issue.
Types of telecommunications services in Belgium
When investing on a new or foreign market, it is advisable to analyse the general aspects referring to the industry the businessman is interested in. Those who want to
open a Belgian company must know several details, such as:
• the fixed telecommunications companies in Belgium provide digital subscriber line (DSL), used to transmit digital information on the phone lines;
• the industry benefits from cable networks;
• cable networks in Belgium are set up in accordance with the linguistic regions of the country (Belgium has three official languages).
Traditionally speaking,
television services are one of the most popular in
Belgium, and at the moment, more than 80% of the
Belgian population has subscribed to such services.
Television is provided through
cable or internet protocol (IP) services and
our team of company formation agents in Belgium can offer assistance in obtaining licenses for a specific type of technology.
Those interested in
Belgian company formation must know that foreign investors can access the
telecommunications market in this country, as there are no restrictions in this sense.
Companies in the country are subject to VAT registration in Belgium irrespective of their turnover. Because there is no minimum threshold for registration, this needs to take place before the commencement of the activities that are subject to this tax. The company’s assigned registration number (the one issued by the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises) will be activated as a VAT number, upon the successful registration.
Legislation on telecommunications market in Belgium
The main regulatory framework for the industry is the Electronic Communications Act. It is important to know that, in 2012, the Belgian authorities aligned its national regulations with the one provided by the European Union, which stipulates that clients of the cable and IP companies can cancel their subscription within two months after signing a contract, even in the case of long-term contracts.
Companies in this field also need to register for tax and
VAT purposes in Belgium and comply with the general accounting and reporting requirements.
