Rules and labels for digital building quality in other countries

Three ways to arrange it

Broadly, countries choose from three approaches. Spain and Portugal set out the telecoms infrastructure of buildings in law. South Korea and London chose a voluntary label or a voluntary rating. France combines both: a legal fibre obligation and a voluntary label.

This is useful to know for the Benelux. Since 12 February 2026, the European Gigabit Infrastructure Act has set the basis in new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovation. For existing offices, there is no mandatory digital label. Other countries show what a law and a label do and do not achieve.

The countries side by side

A short overview per country. You can read more in the blocks below.

South Korea: a voluntary certificate that changed the market

Since 1999, South Korea has had a voluntary certificate for buildings that are ready for fast internet. Builders wanted it themselves, because buyers and tenants asked for it. In 2020, Financial News reported that over the previous six years an average of 78.5 per cent of newly completed flats received a certificate. The lesson: a voluntary label works when the buyer or tenant can see it and compare it.

Spain: no telecoms plan, no building permit

Since 1998, Spain has required a common telecoms infrastructure in buildings, the ICT. Without a telecoms plan, there is no permission to build or to carry out a major renovation. After construction, an installation certificate and a measurement report follow, but that measurement happens only once, at completion. The lesson: link requirements to moments that already exist, and keep the measurement.

Portugal: one manual that is updated again and again

Portugal regulates the telecoms infrastructure in buildings with the ITED rules. The regulator ANACOM publishes a technical manual for them, which has appeared four times since 2004, each time after a public consultation. Designers and installers follow at least 50 hours of refresher training every five years. The lesson: a method is never finished and must grow along with the technology.

France: law and label side by side

Since the law of 2008, France has required fibre in new buildings with several homes or business premises, and since 2016 in all new buildings. In addition, since 2018 there has been the voluntary Ready2Services (R2S) label for non-residential buildings, which also looks at the building network and digital security. The law covers presence, not performance. The lesson: the law lays the basis, a label makes the quality above it visible.

United Kingdom: a push from the Mayor of London

In October 2015, the Mayor of London launched a voluntary rating for the digital connectivity of offices, carried out by the company WiredScore. There are four levels and a certificate is valid for two years. It is mainly owners of good buildings who take part. The lesson: a government can give a voluntary label a push, without making it mandatory or carrying it out itself.

The European basis

Since 12 February 2026, new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovation must be fibre-ready. This is in article 10 of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act. In the Netherlands, this obligation is in article 4.245 of the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl), and it also applies to offices, shops and commercial premises. Fibre-ready means that the ducts and cables are in place. It says nothing about Wi-Fi, network, performance or security. Read more in our article about the Gigabit Infrastructure Act and the fibre-ready building.

In addition, the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) will become mandatory for large non-residential buildings, through the revised European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The SRI measures how smart a building can be. The European Commission must adopt the rules for it by 30 June 2027 at the latest. You can find an overview of all rules on the laws and regulations page.

What this means for the IT-Label

In all countries you see the same common thread. Laws set the basis in new buildings and in major renovations. Labels make the quality above it visible. But almost nobody measures how the network in an existing building works in practice.

That is what the IT-Label looks at. It is voluntary and intended for both new and existing commercial real estate. A Certified Partner assesses six areas using one fixed method, and also measures how the infrastructure works in practice. The certificate is valid for two years. Read what the IT-Label can learn from other countries and why the IT-Label should become the Benelux standard.