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Some 200 companies showed up for Belgacom’s ‘Network-centric ICT Forum’ in Groot-Bijgaarden. The strong turnout only confirms that the network has become a central element in doing business. “Your company’s staff use the network to communicate with each other, clients, suppliers and partners,” pointed out Kris Verheye, Vice President Corporate at the Enterprise Business Unit at Belgacom during the plenary session, “and then preferably at any possible time, through any available device and from any location whatsoever.” Without a network connection, for many companies, there would simply be no business. After all, it is the network that gives employees access to the company’s applications and data. In this way, ICT is evolving into a more distinctly network-centric ICT, in which the network component plays a key role. According to Frank De Reymaeker, SE Manager Cisco Belux, the evolution towards network-centric ICT is a consequence of three major transitions. To start with, people’s mobility is increasing. Just think of the rapid growth of mobile e-mail and mobile Internet. Video is leading to a second transition. Sixty percent of human communication is nonverbal, so video is a crucial element in successfully communicating long-distance. The third transition has to do with the workplace experience. No matter if it is in the conference room, in the car or at home, we want to have the same options - with access to tools, applications and data - as at the office. “In order to make optimal use of these transitions, Cisco developed the borderless network architecture,” explained Frank De Reymaeker. “This is an architecture that integrates aspects such as security, video-support and energy management. In that regard, we are closely aligned with what is offered by Belgacom Explore.”

Top five

The success of network-centric ICT-solutions starts with the presence of a secure, high-performance network. That is why Wim De Meyer, Vice President Business Transformation at Belgacom, gave a presentation on the evolution of the network infrastructure. “In Belgium, we have 99.85 percent ADSL-coverage. That is a world record. For VDSL we are currently already at 73 percent, with Belgacom TV at 87 percent.” At the same time, in various locations, Belgacom has launched test projects for fiber-to-the-home. Wim De Meyer noted that Belgacom’s efforts in the area of fiber are still subject to a certain misperception. “In Belgium, we have over 15,000 kilometers of fiber in the access. That places us in the top five worldwide. Among our neighbours in the Netherlands, Germany and England, the share of fiber in the access is only 30 percent, maximum.” Right now, within Belgacom, the internal transformation regarding the use of fiber continues. “We are ready for fiber-to-the-home,” he added during the plenary session.

Thanks to the evolution of the network, the world is soon going to be a very different place. Stefan Bovy, Vice President Products & Solutions at the Enterprise Business Unit at Belgacom explained a number of potential applications. “In a traditional company, IT needs to provide flexible, high-quality support. In the future, the element of innovation is going to become increasingly important. Companies will evolve more rapidly, and will anticipate more. Belgacom Explore offers the foundation that can help make this rapid evolution possible.” For companies, this includes aspects such as greater flexibility for employees, by providing them with access to applications and data, whether they are at home, in transit or at satellite offices. We are also going to be seeing increasing instances of network-centric ICT-solutions in the public sphere. Currently, a number of cities and towns have already implemented Belgacom’s solutions for services such as camera surveillance, license plate recognition and digital signage. Stefan Bovy: “For all of these applications in which the network plays a central role, we provide the underlying infrastructure, through our datacenters, our security, etc.”

Innovation generates added value

The fact that innovation continues to grow in importance also applies to Belgacom itself. “We are a highly innovative company,” remarked Stijn Vander Plaetse, Vice President Innovation at Belgacom. “Eighty percent of our current turnover comes from products and services that didn’t even exist 15 years ago. Forty percent of our turnover comes from services that we have been offering for less than five years.” The breakthrough of mobile telephony and the Internet has led to a true revolution. That is something that Belgacom is continuing to develop further even now. “We are not involved in fundamental research or the development of new devices. We are focused on combining more services. That leads to greater ease of use and further cost reduction for the customer.” Belgacom continues to bring innovation to the heart of the services it provides: the network and the associated processes. A good example of this is the use of the network for payment transactions. Stijn Vander Plaetse: “SMS-parking - available in cities such as Antwerp - has proved a tremendous success.”

This example shows how important innovation continues to be for Belgacom, and it will remain so in the future. “Naturally, it all starts with the network,” according to Michel De Coster, Executive Vice President at the Enterprise Business Unit at Belgacom who had wound up the plenary session. “We combine the network with applications offered by strong partners.” Belgacom believes in the convergence of fixed and mobile networks, speech and data. But while the network offers the basis, innovation generates the real added value. “We are already thinking about the steps that we are going to be taking tomorrow. That is why we think it is so important to talk to our customers and listen to their ideas and expectations. The interaction with our clients is crucial for the further development of our strategy.