Belgacom announced an increase in the price of two of its internet subscriptions in February this year. Customers were notified, but the announcement came too late and contained either insufficient or incorrect information, the industry regulator found. According to law, when a company increases the cost or changes the terms of a contract, customers must be informed at least a month in advance of the changes taking effect. Customers must also be informed that, due to the changes, the contract can be cancelled without any financial penalty.

According to BIPT, Belgacom sent out a general mailing that made no mention of that legal provision. Later in individual communications, some customers were informed of their cancellation rights, while others were given information regarding conditions for free cancellation (which are not applicable by law).

Belgacom said it was “surprised” at the ruling and that it would appeal the fine. In a statement, the company said that it was “convinced that its willingness to keep the client as well informed as possible is not in any doubt” and that it had used “every means available to keep clients informed”.

• Belgacom subsidiary Scarlet has taken over the activities of mobile phone operator MobiSud in Belgium. The MobiSud network, which services mainly clients from the Maghreb region of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, was a joint venture between Maroc Telephone and Belgacom. The network, now owned exclusively by Scarlet, will continue to provide high-quality mobile phone services at a good price, Belgacom said.