Vodafone extends relationship with Belgian partner Proximus

Vodafone and its Belgium-based partner Proximus announced on Thursday that they had agreed to renew their strategic partnership for Belgium and Luxembourg for a further five years, building on a “successful long-term relationship” that began in 2003.

The FTSE 100 firm said the agreement would enable both companies to offer joint products and services across their networks to provide the “optimum experience” for their consumer and enterprise customers.

Under the agreement, which commenced on 1 April, multinational companies in Belgium and Luxembourg that have global agreements with Vodafone and Proximus would continue to benefit from international managed mobile services and have access to a wide range of Vodafone Global Enterprise services.

Those include Vodafone Spend Analytics, which provides visibility and control of a company's telecommunications spend, and Enterprise Managed Mobility, which enables employees to securely use smartphones and tablets.

Vodafone said it and and Proximus remained preferred partners for roaming traffic on each other's footprint.

Mobile customers of Proximus would continue to benefit from mobile voice and data roaming, including high-speed data on Vodafone's 4G networks.

Vodafone customers visiting Belgium and Luxembourg would also enjoy voice and data roaming, including high-speed data on the 4G network of Proximus and its affiliate Tango in Luxembourg.

Vodafone and Proximus would continue their joint mobile device procurement and device promotion initiatives, strengthening the leading position of Proximus in the Belgian device market.

Within the framework of the partnership, the two companies said they would also explore further specific areas such as mobile data monetisation, connected cars and mobility solutions in cooperation with Proximus' equity partner Be-Mobile.

“We look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration with Vodafone,” said Proximus CEO Dominique Leroy.

“Being the partner of a global player allows us to offer our residential and professional customers the best of both worlds: a local quality partner and global advantages such as the best value proposition for smartphones and accessories.

“Within this partnership, Proximus and Vodafone will also explore some specific areas like connected cars and mobility solutions.”

Vodafone Partner Markets chief executive Diego Massidda said his company had built a “strong relationship” with Proximus, dating back to 2003, and he was “delighted” to announce the next stage in their mutual co-operation.

“Customers of Vodafone and Proximus will continue to benefit from an excellent range of consumer and enterprise products and services across our networks for many years to come.”