Telenet will supply fast fibre optic network to Flemish schools

Telecom company Telenet has won the public tender to supply schools and adult education centres with a fibre optic connection via a framework contract from the Flemish government. Education minister Ben Weyts (N-VA) announced this on Monday at the Technical Institute Don Bosco in Halle.

Fibre optic internet connections offer the best technology for browsing, downloading and uploading. The data volume and number of users are, in principle, unlimited.

To accelerate the transition to fibre optics in education, Weyts has released resources to draw up a framework contract. "A school used to have no real need for large data volume, but everything has changed because of digital education," he says. "We want to help schools transition smoothly to a fibre optic cable."

Any interested school can sign the contract, which is worth 59 million euros. For a school of 1,000 students and 100 teachers, the system is 90 per cent cheaper to connect and offers a 60 per cent cheaper monthly fee compared to schools working individually.

_{#FlandersNewsService | Flemish minister of Education Ben Weyts © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT}