BASE announces free mobile data usage throughout Belgium for customers with a monthly subscription for the period from July 17 to 31
Floods in Wallonia and Flanders - Solidarity at every level
Monday, July 19, 2021 — Extreme weather has ravaged our country the past week. The human suffering is huge. And the material damage, too, is incalculable. Everyone now wants above all to get in touch with relatives or victims in the affected regions, but the telephone network has to be thoroughly checked and repaired again in certain places. That is why BASE is offering its over half a million subscribers the chance to stay in touch with family and friends via the mobile network by giving them free access to their mobile data throughout Belgium, with retroactive effect from Saturday July 17 through July 31, 2021.
The damage is particularly extensive in the provinces of Liège, Luxembourg, Limburg and Flemish Brabant. That's why BASE is encouraging donations to the Red Cross, but also wants to help the victims now by giving them the chance to contact each other. That is why all BASE subscribers will receive free use of mobile data in Belgium from July 17 through July 31, 2021.
"The date of July 31 has been set to help people who have suffered severe damage to contact their loved ones. We hope that a period of two weeks can provide the necessary support. We want to show solidarity in this way and help as many people as possible by offering them free mobile data to stay in touch with family and friends or to ask for help. We realise that this kind of human contact is invaluable in these difficult times," says Gerald Demortier, Vice-President BASE.
The telecom operator does not want to make a difference between the north and the south of the country, families and friends are spread all over Belgium and everyone is looking for each other. Even people who are on holiday in the affected villages or at a campsite are sometimes still being sought by the home front.
Automatic free implementation in Belgium from 17 July to 31 July
As of last Saturday, all BASE customers with a residential and PRO subscription have automatic free access to mobile data up to and including 31 July. They do not need to take any action themselves to be able to use this free mobile data usage[1] in Belgium.
In addition to the above action by BASE, parent company Telenet - together with the other telecom operators in Belgium - is supporting a special SMS donation campaign whereby anyone can donate 1€ by texting the message 'Solidarity' to number 4330. The company will also make a financial donation to the Red Cross. Finally, Telenet & BASE employees can volunteer with the Red Cross within the framework of the volunteer programme run by the company.
SBS, also a subsidiary of Telenet, together with VRT and DPG Media, also supports the Red Cross solidarity campaign. In a 30-second commercial, the media companies call on people to make a donation. The ad can be seen on television and heard on the radio since Friday July 16.
(1) https://www.base.be/en/legal-information/conditions-unlimited-offer.html