VOO is at a turning point in its history in 2023. If the last pieces of the takeover puzzle agree to fit together, the Walloon cable operator will join the fold of its new owner Orange Belgium next June.
While waiting for this deadline, the Nethys subsidiary continues to advance its pawns, to develop its projects. In the line of sight: the arrival of a new CEO, the connection of certain white areas, the continued deployment of gigabit, etc.
We take stock.
From “joyful mess” to the offensive formula
New CEO. Edouard Rodriguez (50) will replace Christopher Traggio as CEO of VOO SA from Monday February 20, 2023. This is a change in continuity, assures the one who joined the ranks of the operator in September 2009.
“Christopher is going to take on another challenge in Europe. I am a child of VOO, I have held a whole series of functions in society, I have experienced all its facets. We went from a happy brothel at the launch of the brand to an offensive company committed to customer relations, network quality and generosity in the quality/price ratio. We will continue in these three directions. ”
Finalization of the redemption. At the end of March 2023, the European Commission should indicate whether or not it authorizes the takeover of VOO SA by Orange Belgium. The possible stumbling block: the negative impact on competition.
To show their credentials, Orange and Telenet recently signed a historic agreement. The principle: the Flemish operator will market fixed subscriptions (Internet, TV) in Wallonia via the VOO network if ever the competition authorities validate the deal.
“We are preparing the backing, even if I do not have the legal right to know Orange’s plans concerning us”, testifies Edouard Rodriguez. “The exchanges are limited and framed, we are constantly surrounded by armies of lawyers. ”
230 kilometers of optical fiber to connect white areas
Gigabit deployment. At the end of 2022, VOO was able to offer the domestic Internet connection at the speed of 1 Gbps (gigabit per second) to 25% of its potential customers. Next steps: 50% coverage by the end of 2023, 100% by 2027 or 2028.
Just converted to gigabit, the city of Namur enters the dance on February 15, 2023. Louvain-la-Neuve, La Louvière and fifteen municipalities of Hainaut, Brabant and Liège will soon follow. Overall, 170,000 new households will be connectable to VOO gigabytes by July 2023.
“We are deploying the gigabit in both urban and rural areas,” insists Edouard Rodriguez, tackling Proximus and its optical fiber in passing. “This deployment is super simple, it is not necessary to drill the roads, to apply for permits. ”
White areas and subsidies. VOO will deploy 230 kilometers of optical fiber to inject gigabit into a whole series of white zones, these no man’s lands deprived of a reliable and fast Internet connection. This project of around 30 million € will be partially financed by 17 million € in subsidies obtained within the framework of the Plan Relance de la Wallonie.
These white areas are located in the regions of Ohey, Andenne, Durbuy, Houffalize, Tenneville, Bertogne, Noville, Frasnes-lez-Anvaing, Celles, Ellezelles, as well as villages of the entity of Tournai.
A Wi-Fi 6 compatible modem
New modem. The latest version of the Proximus b-box gives pride of place to the faster Wi-Fi 6 signal. Wi-Fi 6 is also in the boxes of VOO. “We are working on a new modem”, testifies the new CEO Edouard Rodriguez. “It might be distributed by the end of the year. ”
New TV decoder. “Like all operators, we are also working on a new TV box,” says Edouard Rodriguez. While waiting for its arrival, “we intend to continue and complete the migration from the old Fusion interface to our most recent interface called VOO TV+. ”
Netflix far too greedy
Netflix integration. Unlike Proximus, VOO does not offer the possibility of connecting to the Netflix streaming service via its TV decoder.
“The problem is the people at Netflix, not us”, comments Edouard Rodriguez. “When we sat at the table with them, they demanded a minimum of one million subscribers obtained through us and significant commissions. I have 800,000 customers, what do I do? It is simply impossible, but integration into the Orange structure may change the situation. ”
