Former Belgacom chief calls for merger talks

Belgacom’s former CEO Bessel Kok has called for more rapid privatization of the company and the possible restart of merger talks with Dutch telco KPN in order to protect itself against competitive threats.

Kok, who still has a minor role with the operator as chairman of an internet subsidiary involved in the Middle East, told Belgian newspaper De Tijd that merger talks, which were discontinued 10 years ago, should resume. He also said that cable rival Telenet was winning market share in Belgium and that he was “impressed” by what Telenet CEO Duco Sickinghe had achieved at the operator.