Telenet started as a political project. In 1994, Flemish Prime Minister Luc Vandenbrande stepped up his efforts to develop a second telecommunications network, alongside Belgacom’s. The first idea was to use the television cable, which was owned by the intermunicipal companies, for telephony. Later the internet was also added.
Right from the start, Telenet has opted for a strategic and industrial partner that brought in money and knowledge. That was then US West and over the years that interest has shifted through AT&T and Callahan to Liberty Global.
Flemish anchoring has always been important for the top of the company. But Liberty has systematically expanded its holdings, in part by simply buying shares on the stock exchange. So it has been a process of years.
