Belgium’s largest telecommunications provider Proximus just got bigger as it announced the merger of its subsidiaries BICS, Telesign, and Route Mobile into a new unified entity called Proximus Global.

The new organisation, with a single operating model and unified global leadership team, intends to simplify the operational structure and governance of the three disparate companies and consolidate their solutions into a single company.

In doing so, it hopes to drive commercial growth opportunities by leveraging the group’s range of talent across the different subsidiaries and their global presence to prepare for a trajectory towards future value crystallisation.

BICS is a global provider of IoT airtime connectivity, enabling international telecommunications infrastructure; Telesign is a digital identity verification specialist, offering solutions for user authentication and fraud prevention, and Route Mobile has cloud communications offerings via a CPaaS solution that enable communication across multiple channels.

Together, these companies represent a comprehensive ecosystem of digital communication, security, and connectivity services that address modern enterprises’ increasingly complex technological needs.

By merging them into a single entity, the new Proximus Global is vying for a unique position in the digital communications value chain.

What the Merger Means

Proximus relationship with its subsidies has evolved over time, beginning with the acquisition of Telesign for $230 million in 2017, followed by taking full ownership of BICS in 2021.

It acquired a majority stake in Route Mobile in the middle of 2024, kicking off its broader move into the CPaaS sphere.

CEO of Proximus Guillaume Boutin said at the time that the acquisition of a majority stake in Route Mobile was “a transformational step” for Proximus ‘international CPaaS and digital identity activities.

Yet the speed in which this new announcement has moved represents a real determination to bring to fruition this new ambition and disrupt the communications industry.

With Telesign being US-based, BICS being European and Route Mobile in India, this integration immediately gives the new Proximus Global reach into some of the world’s biggest markets.

Boutin said:

“With the talent and expertise of our teams, I am confident in our ability to accelerate our international growth journey and become a global market leader in digital communications.” 

Equally, it opens up its offering, not only giving the new Proximus Global a better value proposition for its customers, but casting a wider net for them to capture new customers with its new widened set of features.

“This strategic transformation will consolidate the strengths of BICS, Telesign, and Route Mobile into one powerful and agile growth engine,” Boutin explained.

In Europe and North America, for instance, secure digital identity and authentication solutions are becoming increasingly critical for businesses as cyber attacks are on the rise and regulations like GDPR HIPPA promise punishment for security failures.

Therefore, CPaaS platforms are increasingly prioritising data privacy and security to meet customer demand.

Telesign has a strong reputation in this field, having pioneered phone-based authentication and verification services that have become industry standards.

Examining the Enhanced CPaaS Offerings

The integration into Proximus Global combines the strengths of all three organisations, enabling expanded product offerings and enhanced global reach in an increasingly competitive digital communications market.

The new unified entity will focus on delivering comprehensive communication solutions, incorporating CPaaS capabilities that enable omnichannel communication across SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, email, and voice platforms.

Route Mobile Executive VP Milind Pathak said:

“Proximus Group’s majority stake in Route Mobile is a testament to the growing importance of CPaaS in the global communication landscape.”

“This partnership provides us with access to Proximus Group’s and their affiliates Telesign and BICS’s extensive resources, expertise, and network,” he continued.

With technologies like AI and Cloud experiencing rapid growth, and with enterprises working across multiple locations, CPaaS is becoming seen as integral to businesses’ digital transformation efforts.

This merger positions Proximus Global to harness combined technological capabilities and market presence, particularly in the CPaaS sector, which Proximus believe will help its international business revenues to top €2 billion within the next two years.



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