The Gigabit Infrastructure Act: what does fibre-ready mean for your building?

For most companies, fibre is no longer a luxury. Yet it still often happens that a new or renovated building has a fine facade, but no good route for the fibre cable. The provider then has to break walls, drill or wait for permission. That costs time and money.

That is why the European Union introduced the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, often shortened to GIA. In this article you read what the regulation covers, what it means for owners, developers and tenants of commercial real estate, and where it stops.

What is the Gigabit Infrastructure Act?

The Gigabit Infrastructure Act is a European law: Regulation (EU) 2024/1309. Its goal is to roll out networks with gigabit speeds faster and at lower cost. A regulation applies directly in all Member States, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The Member States do work out the technical requirements themselves.

The regulation replaces the 2014 European directive on reducing the cost of broadband. The key dates:

• 12 November 2025: the regulation applies, apart from a few parts.
• 12 February 2026: the rules for fibre-ready buildings apply (Article 10).
• 12 May 2026: a number of rules on digital information and permits apply.

What changes for buildings?

For the real estate sector, Article 10 matters most. It ensures that buildings are ready for fibre from now on:

• New buildings and major renovation. Was the building permit applied for after 12 February 2026? Then the building gets fibre-ready in-building infrastructure and in-building fibre wiring, up to the point where the user connects to the public network.
• An access point in residential buildings. New and majorly renovated multi-dwelling buildings get an access point, where a provider can connect its network.
• Exemptions. Member States may exempt certain buildings, for example when the costs are disproportionate, or for listed buildings and military buildings.
• A voluntary label. Member States may introduce a label that shows whether a building is fibre-ready. That is a choice, not an obligation.

What does "fibre-ready" mean? That the building has the space and ducts to install fibre, and that the fibre cables are in place. It is the base a provider can connect to.

How it works in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the obligation is in the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl), article 4.245. This article has applied since 27 March 2026, for environmental permit applications from 12 February 2026. The main points:

• Every building use has fibre-ready in-building infrastructure and fibre wiring. This applies to all building uses, including offices, shops and commercial premises. Exceptions include defence buildings and places of worship.
• A residential building has an access point.
• The infrastructure ends in an accessible, non-shared space with a minimum size.
• The technical requirements are set in the Omgevingsregeling. They were drawn up together with the sector.

Are you a developer or owner applying for a permit for new construction or a major renovation? Include the fibre-ready infrastructure in the design from the start. Adapting it afterwards costs more.

How it works in Belgium

In Belgium, the law that provides the basis for the technical requirements was adopted on 29 January 2026 (Article 28/1 of the Law of 13 June 2005 on electronic communications). BIPT, the Belgian regulator, sets out those requirements in a royal decree. BIPT published a revised proposal in May 2026. Check the current status on the BIPT website.

What changes for network rollout?

The regulation also makes it easier for providers to build networks:

• Faster permits. A permit for network rollout must be granted or refused within four months. If no decision is made, the permit is in principle deemed to be granted.
• Access to existing infrastructure. Network operators and public bodies must in principle meet reasonable requests to use, for example, existing ducts and masts.
• Access inside the building. A provider may roll out its network at its own cost up to the access point of a building. Whoever manages the access point must meet reasonable requests for access.
• Disputes. If parties cannot agree, a national dispute settlement body can take a binding decision.

What the regulation does not cover

The Gigabit Infrastructure Act is an important step. But it has limits, and they matter for tenants and owners of commercial real estate:

• Existing buildings stay out of view. The obligation only applies to new buildings and major renovation. Most existing offices and commercial premises are not covered.
• Fibre-ready is not yet a working connection. Ducts and cables are in place, but that says nothing about a subscription, a good connection or a second connection as backup.
• It does not cover what happens after the connection point. Wi-Fi, internal cabling, the server room, network equipment and security fall outside it.
• It says nothing about performance. Whether the connection is fast and stable in practice is not measured.

Fibre-ready means the road has been built. Whether the traffic flows well is a different question.

What does this mean for you?

For developers and owners

Planning new construction or a major renovation? Then fibre-ready infrastructure is mandatory. Turn it into an opportunity. A building that is well set up digitally is more attractive to tenants. With an IT-Label certification you show what your building delivers digitally, beyond the legal minimum.

For tenants

Renting in a new building? Then you can expect fibre-ready infrastructure. Do ask further: which providers can deliver, is there a backup, and how are Wi-Fi and the technical rooms arranged? Renting in an existing building? Then the regulation gives you no certainty. A pre-inspection gives you a picture in advance.

For IT professionals and installers

The regulation creates more fibre work in buildings, and clear technical requirements. Those who can also assess the bigger picture, from connection to workplace, add more value. As a Certified Partner of IT-Label, you assess buildings using one fixed method.

Gigabit Infrastructure Act and IT-Label: two layers

The regulation and the IT-Label complement each other. The regulation sets the base: the ducts and cables in new and renovated buildings. The IT-Label looks at the whole picture, also in existing buildings:

• the internet connection, capacity and a second connection;
• the internal cabling, Wi-Fi, patch and server rooms;
• the measured performance in practice;
• the smart building systems and how they work together.

The result is one of six classifications, from IT1+ PREMIUM to IT5 SHELL. So a tenant knows not only that fibre can be connected, but also whether good work is possible tomorrow. Also read why the IT-Label aims to become the Benelux standard for the digital quality of real estate.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Gigabit Infrastructure Act also apply to my existing office?

Only if you carry out a major renovation and applied for the permit after 12 February 2026. Nothing changes for existing buildings without such a renovation.

Does the obligation also apply to commercial premises and shops, or only to homes?

In the Netherlands, article 4.245 of the Bbl applies to all building uses, including offices, shops and commercial premises. Only the access point is specifically required for residential buildings.

Is there an official fibre-ready label?

The regulation leaves Member States free to introduce such a label. It is not an obligation. The IT-Label is something else: it assesses the whole digital infrastructure of a building, not only the fibre.

Who checks whether a building is fibre-ready?

Member States must ensure the rules are followed, for example through on-site inspections. In the Netherlands, it is part of the building rules in the Bbl.

Where can I find the official text?

The regulation is on EUR-Lex. The Dutch rules are in the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving and the Omgevingsregeling, available on wetten.overheid.nl.

Beyond fibre-ready

The Gigabit Infrastructure Act makes sure new buildings are ready for fibre. That is a good base. Want to know what your building really delivers digitally, even if it has been standing for years? Request a pre-inspection or read more about the IT-Label certification.

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Sources: Regulation (EU) 2024/1309 (Gigabit Infrastructure Act); Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, article 4.245 (Stb. 2026, 55); Volkshuisvesting Nederland, rules for fibre in buildings; BIPT, proposal for a royal decree. Checked on 18 October 2026. The official texts always prevail.