The BIPT

The BIPT is the federal regulatory body responsible for regulating the electronic communications market, the postal market, the electromagnetic spectrum of radio frequencies and the radio and television broadcasting in the Brussels-Capital Region.

The 2020-2022 Strategic Plan of the BIPT forms a common thread in the exercise of its competences, with the main objective of ensuring a reliable and competitive communications environment for everyone.

The BIPT provides essential input when strategic decisions are taken in its areas of competence. It contributes to the preparation of regulations, such as the transposition of the European Electronic Communications Code and the Directive on the accessibility requirements for products and services. The BIPT also shares its expertise with the Chamber of Representatives for which it issued in 2022 an opinion on a draft resolution to recognise internet access as a basic need. The BIPT also participates in the coordination of projects of the Federal Government, such as the call for 5G pilot projects and the call for white zone projects. The Institute also works with many national institutional partners to analyse, monitor and, if necessary, transpose into national legislation a wide range of European legislative initiatives.

The BIPT does not only exercise its competences at the national level; it also ensures the preservation of the interests of the Belgian postal and telecommunications sectors by actively participating in various international bodies, such as BEREC, the ERGP, the CERP, the ITU and UPU.

Certain interventions of the BIPT are directly aimed at the general public. On the one hand, the BIPT verifies compliance with the legal provisions protecting users, such as the provisions facilitating the switch between operators (the Easy Switch procedure). On the other hand, the BIPT ensures that users get relevant, accurate and updated information on the various services, their prices as well as new technologies and their deployment. The BIPT provides useful tools to users to help them in their decision-making process, such as the tariff simulator besttariff.be, the data portal and the website postalpoint.be. L’IBPT publishes videos on its YouTube channel and runs information websites regarding 5G (about 5G) and optical fibre (infofibre.be).