Telenet, Belgium’s largest cable broadband provider, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Chinese telecommunications company ZTE to strengthen and expand its mobile internet and telecommunications capabilities across the country.
The agreement was formalized during a signing ceremony at Castle Val-Duchesse in Brussels. Telenet’s Chief Technology Officer Micha Berger and ZTE Senior Vice President Xiao Ming signed the pact in the presence of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The event underlined the significance of the collaboration for both companies and for Belgium’s digital infrastructure.
Following the ceremony, Micha Berger expressed satisfaction with the early results of the collaboration and optimism about future benefits. He emphasized that the partnership is expected to allow Telenet to deliver a high-quality mobile network that meets both current and future needs throughout Belgium. Berger highlighted that combining Telenet’s local market position and customer base with ZTE’s technological expertise creates a strong foundation for national mobile network development.
Xiao Ming of ZTE commented on the agreement, noting that the company is enthusiastic about the strategic relationship with Telenet. He described the deal as a solid basis for expanding and deepening a long-term partnership as both companies move toward the next generation of mobile communications, including the transition to 5G. Xiao stressed that the collaboration will focus on delivering robust, high-performance networks and innovative services.
Telenet and ZTE have already worked together on network upgrades prior to this agreement. In August 2016, Telenet implemented ZTE’s Uni-RAN technology to modernize its national mobile network. That deployment produced measurable improvements in network performance and service quality for subscribers. Operational processes also benefited, with significant enhancements in carrier-grade operations management and network efficiency.
Through the collaboration, Telenet progressed from legacy 2G infrastructure while optimizing its 3G and 4G coverage. Notably, the companies achieved a download speed milestone of 1.3 Gbps during testing—approximately four times faster than typical 4G speeds—demonstrating the performance potential of advanced radio access technologies. Telenet also adopted ZTE solutions such as LTE Massive MIMO and LTE Broadcast to increase capacity, improve spectral efficiency, and support new high-bandwidth services.
Beyond peak speed metrics, the partnership has supported innovations in Internet of Things (IoT) offerings and high-capacity mobile services. LTE Massive MIMO provides better spectral utilization and increased throughput in dense urban environments, while LTE Broadcast enables efficient distribution of large-scale media and data to many users simultaneously. These technologies help Telenet serve both consumer and enterprise markets by enabling richer multimedia experiences, more reliable connectivity, and scalable solutions for smart devices and services.
As demand for mobile data continues to grow and network expectations rise, Telenet’s alliance with ZTE aims to ensure the operator can scale capacity, improve coverage, and introduce advanced services without compromising reliability. The strategic partnership is positioned to support a gradual evolution toward 5G, allowing Telenet to deploy next-generation features and capabilities when the time is right for its network roadmap and customer needs.
In summary, the Telenet–ZTE agreement represents a concerted push to modernize Belgium’s mobile infrastructure. It builds on prior technical cooperation and seeks to accelerate deployment of advanced radio technologies, operational enhancements, and new service models. The collaboration is intended to deliver tangible benefits to subscribers through higher speeds, expanded coverage, improved service quality, and a platform for future 5G innovations across Belgium.