EU picks Proximus and three other suppliers for six-year sovereign cloud contract

The Belgian state still owns 53% of Proximus. The framework deal covers the Commission, Parliament, Council and 70 agencies.

The European Commission has chosen Proximus and three other suppliers for sovereign cloud services to EU institutions and agencies, in a framework agreement running six years. The decision was announced on 17 April 2026 and follows the Commission's Cloud III tender.

The Belgian state still owns 53% of Proximus, so the public hand keeps a stake in what the EU now buys. In its report of 17 April, the company said the framework contract positioned it as a cloud provider for the Commission, Parliament and Council. It also named the EEAS, the union's diplomatic service, and 70 European agencies.

Proximus chief Fabrice De Windt said geopolitical tensions have pushed digital sovereignty to the top of boardroom agendas. Clients, he said, ask what would happen if Trump activated his kill switch. It is exploring how existing infrastructure can evolve into a distributed network of smart, edge-ready nodes across Belgium. That would bring connectivity and computing power closer to where needed, the company said, as part of its Moonshot ambition.

Artūrs Alksnis, vice president of public policy at Proximus Global, warned that digital sovereignty imposes additional complexity and higher costs on companies operating internationally. He said the measures put pressure on the international competitiveness of European companies. S3NS provides trusted sovereign cloud, Mistral AI the European AI capabilities and Thales the security architecture and threat intelligence.

In October 2026, Proximus NXT launched a small cell Proof of Concept with MWingz, the company said. The test transforms a legacy copper-based street cabinet into a smart connectivity hub with a 5G small cell. Proximus NXT called it an important learning step toward its Moonshot ambition.