Which operator has the best customer service in Belgium?

No Belgian operator wins unanimous praise, but the numbers settle part of the debate. The 2025 report of the Telecom Ombudsman (Service de médiation pour les télécommunications) puts Proximus at the top for complaint volume, while small digital operators like Mobile Vikings lead on satisfaction. Here is how to read that data without getting it wrong, depending on the service you actually expect.

An operator's customer service comes down to three concrete things: reachability (can you talk to someone, and through which channel), resolution time (how long to fix an outage or a billing error) and follow-up reliability (does the case move forward without you calling ten times). A good network is not enough: the day something breaks, the support is what makes the difference.

What actually makes a good telecom customer service?

Good customer service is judged on solving a real problem, not on the smile at sign-up. Three criteria matter: reaching a human quickly, getting an answer that truly fixes the issue, and not seeing the bill go sideways in the meantime.

The trap is to confuse network coverage with customer service. An operator can have the best speeds in the country and painful support: that is exactly the recurring complaint about Proximus on Trustpilot, summed up by customers as "network fine, support painful". Conversely, a small operator on a borrowed network can offer a smooth customer relationship. The two criteria are independent.

To compare seriously, you must cross sources, because none is perfect alone. Official ombudsman complaints give a neutral, dated figure. Test-Achats surveys poll a panel. Trustpilot or Google reviews stick to lived experience but lean negative, because an unhappy customer writes more readily than a satisfied one.

Which operator gets the most complaints in Belgium?

By volume, it is Proximus. The 2025 annual report of the Telecom Ombudsman, published in March 2026, records 4,539 complaints against it, ahead of Telenet Group (3,884) and Orange (2,895). In total, the body handled 15,009 complaints over the year, for 15,087 written requests received, down 6.31% from 2024.

These figures are the most neutral benchmark available, because they come from an independent public body rather than self-selected reviews. The ombudsman only records cases that found no direct solution with the operator: these are precisely the situations where customer service already failed once. That is what makes them telling.

How are these complaints counted?

The ombudsman counts written requests for intervention filed by customers after an unresolved dispute with their operator. A single unhappy customer counts only once per case. The most frequent grounds revolve around billing, technical installation problems and difficulties cancelling or transferring. It is a snapshot of real friction, not an opinion poll.

Is the number of complaints enough to judge an operator?

No, and that is the most common mistake. Proximus racks up the most complaints because it has the most customers: it is the incumbent and the leader of the Belgian market across all services. Reading complaint volume against subscriber numbers changes the ranking entirely.

The clearest illustration is Digi. The market's latest entrant climbed to fourth place for complaints with 461 cases in 2025, while holding under 1% of the mobile market. Relative to its customer base, that is by far the worst ratio: many unhappy customers for few subscribers. By contrast, Proximus's 4,539 complaints, spread over millions of lines, weigh far less per customer.

Put plainly: always read complaint volume alongside market share. A large operator mechanically generates more cases in absolute terms; what matters is the rate and the trend, not the raw figure in the headline.

Proximus, Orange, Telenet: which is improving, which is slipping?

The trend often says more than the volume. In 2025, Proximus and Telenet clearly cut their complaints (−19.65% and −24.42%), while Orange had the market's sharpest rise: +32.93%. Two opposite trajectories in the same year.

The drop at Proximus and Telenet is partly explained by a calmer context: the big fibre and 5G rollouts progressed, and none of the massive IT bugs of 2023-2024 recurred. Orange's rise, meanwhile, was marked enough to make Belgian headlines in March 2026, with grievances concentrated on support and processes. For a customer choosing today, a rising curve is a signal not to ignore.

Figures from the 2025 annual report of the Telecom Ombudsman (published March 2026). Unleashed groups Mobile Vikings and JIM Mobile.

Does Mobile Vikings really have the best customer service?

On declared satisfaction, yes, it regularly comes out on top. Mobile Vikings scores 4.5/5 on Trustpilot for over 6,900 reviews, and 4.4/5 on Google for over 1,400 reviews: one of the best-rated operators on the Belgian market. Test-Achats also ranks it among the best on overall satisfaction, highlighting the quality of its support.

The recipe rests on a simple, direct, responsive service built for self-reliant customers. There is a flip side: at the ombudsman, parent company Unleashed (Mobile Vikings and JIM Mobile) saw complaints climb 32.29% in 2025, reaching about 300 cases. The volume stays low, but the rise is a reminder that no operator is immune as its base grows.

The model also needs nuance. Mobile Vikings's service is fairly light and digital: perfect for anyone who handles everything through the app and chat, less reassuring for someone who wants an adviser on the line or a store to bring a problem to. The high rating does not mean "classic premium service", it means "effective service for a self-reliant profile".

Is an online-only customer service a problem?

It depends on you. A digital operator like Mobile Vikings or Scarlet bets on self-service: chat, email, account area, often with no store or dedicated hotline. For a user comfortable with digital, it is fast and queue-free. For someone who wants to explain their issue out loud, the absence of a phone line can turn into a nightmare. Before subscribing, check the list of contact channels actually offered.

Digi: why so many complaints for so few customers?

Because its growth outran its support capacity. Arriving recently with aggressive prices, Digi drew a lot of new subscribers at once, without a customer service structure at the same scale. The result: 461 complaints to the ombudsman in 2025 for under 1% of the mobile market, and reports of waiting times reaching 60 minutes on the phone.

The situation took a political turn: the Telecoms Minister summoned the operator over the number of grievances, and Test-Achats opened a dedicated complaints channel. The recurring grounds are billing, activations that drag on and difficulty reaching support. It does not condemn Digi on price, but it lights up the risk: paying less can be paid back in time on the phone.

Which operator should you choose for your profile?

The best customer service depends mostly on how you want to be helped. If you are self-reliant and handle everything from an app, a highly rated digital operator like Mobile Vikings ticks the boxes: responsive, simple, cheap. If you want to be able to walk into a store and talk to an adviser, a large operator with a physical network (Proximus, Orange, Telenet) stays more reassuring, provided you watch its complaint trend.

What should I do when my operator does not respond?

Start with a written complaint to customer service and keep a record of the case. Without a satisfactory reply, contact the Telecom Ombudsman (Service de médiation pour les télécommunications) for free: the independent body handled over 15,000 cases in 2025 and can propose an amicable solution. And if trust is broken, you always keep the option to switch operator via Easy Switch, without losing your number.

To go further, compare the networks in our guide to which mobile operator to choose in Belgium, browse our pick of the best alternative operators (MVNOs) such as Mobile Vikings, and see how to switch mobile operator without losing your number via Easy Switch if your current customer service has let you down.