Proximus said it expects its Capex to reach its peak of around €1.3 billion in 2023, primarily due to investment in fiber, mobile network and 5G roll-outs.
Proximus plans Capex optimization and efficiency programs to manage inflation related impacts on Capex, Guillaume Boutin, CEO of Proximus Group, said in its earnings report.
Proximus Group’s Capex for the first quarter 2023 totaled €312 million, compared to €270 million one year back, excluding spectrum and football rights.
Fiber related investments counted for 26 percent of the total Capex against 33 percent in the first quarter of 2022. Capex for Proximus’ own fiber build will be coming down from its peak in 2022.
Capex to connect and activate customers increases. The mobile network (RAN) consolidation between Proximus and Orange Belgium is on, and the first quarter included timing effects of IT and Content investments.
By end of March 2023, Proximus deployed Fiber in 106 cities and municipalities in Belgium. Proximus increased its fiber footprint by 51 percent, reaching 1,373,000 premises with fiber, representing a 23 percent Fiber footprint in Belgium.
Proximus has covered Gigabit network in over 50 percent of the population. Fiber works are going on in 106 cities throughout the country.
Proximus said nearly 1.4 million homes and businesses are connectable to Fiber as it reached a coverage of 23 percent at the end of March.
Proximus launched Ultra Fiber proposal offering 10Gbps fiber technology in five Belgian cities, with a nationwide launch planned by this summer.
Proximus’ Domestic segment added: +11,000 Internet subscriptions, and +10,000 Mobile customers in Q1 203.
Fiber gained traction, with +36,000 active Residential and Business Fiber lines added, bringing the total to 288,000. Proximus managed to contain the net decrease of the TV subscriptions to -12,000 in the first quarter.
Proximus revenue totaled €1,486 million for the first quarter of 2023, up 5.9 percent, with EBITDA of EUR 432 million, down 3.5 percent.
