What can the IT-Label learn from other countries? Six lessons from Korea, Spain, Portugal, France and the UK

The IT-Label is not the first idea to make the digital quality of buildings visible. Since the late 1990s, countries have looked for ways to make sure buildings are ready for fast internet. Some countries chose laws, others voluntary labels, and a few both.

What worked, and what did not? In this article we look at five countries and one international label. We then translate what we see into six lessons for the IT-Label, which aims to become the standard for the digital quality of real estate in the Benelux.

South Korea: a certificate builders wanted themselves

South Korea is one of the best-known examples. In the 1990s the government introduced a certificate for buildings with a fast internet connection, with three levels. Apartment complexes in particular took part.

The certificate was voluntary, but it worked. According to the American think tank Brookings, builders used it to differentiate their projects, and most residents wanted to live in such a certified building. In 2000 a ministry official told CNN that around 80 percent of new apartment buildings were wired for fast internet as a result.

The lesson: a label does not have to be mandatory to have an effect. It works when the buyer or tenant knows it and asks for it. Then it becomes a selling point for the owner instead of an obligation.

Spain: a technical plan, independently checked

Since 1998 Spain has had rules for the common telecom infrastructure in buildings, the ICT (Infraestructuras Comunes de Telecomunicaciones). The current rules are in Real Decreto 346/2011 and its implementing order.

A new building comes with a technical project for the telecom infrastructure, with drawings, requirements and a budget. An organisation recognised by the Spanish accreditation body ENAC can check that project. After construction there is a final certificate and a test protocol. This records what is in the building.

The lesson: recording and independent checking build trust. A label is only worth something if an outsider can verify how it was determined.

Portugal: a manual that is updated regularly

Portugal regulates the telecom infrastructure in buildings with the ITED rules (Infraestruturas de Telecomunicações em Edifícios). The regulator ANACOM publishes a technical manual for it. The manual is revised regularly. The third edition came into force in 2015. In new buildings the infrastructure is mandatory.

Portugal also sets requirements for the organisations that train designers and installers. They are certified according to fixed rules.

The lesson: technology changes fast. A method that does not grow with it becomes outdated. And good rules only work if the people who apply them are trained for it.

France: a label from the sector, issued by an independent party

In France the Smart Buildings Alliance, an industry association, developed the Ready2Services (R2S) label for smart and connected non-residential buildings. The label assesses, among other things, connectivity, network architecture and digital security.

Two things stand out. The sector sets the requirements, but an independent certifier, Certivéa, issues the label. And in 2022 a second version appeared, based on experience with the first.

The lesson: those who make the standard and those who award the label are better kept separate. And a standard needs versions, so that experience from practice can be included.

United Kingdom: the law sets the base

In England, new building rules have applied since 26 December 2022: Part R. New homes get gigabit-ready infrastructure and a working gigabit connection. A cost cap of £2,000 per home applies to that connection. If it is not possible within the cap, the fastest connection that is possible is installed.

In addition, the Mayor of London had a voluntary rating scheme set up in 2015 for the digital connectivity of office buildings.

The lesson: the law ensures a minimum in new buildings. For quality above that, and for existing buildings, a voluntary label is needed. A government can give such a label a push without making it mandatory.

International: WiredScore

WiredScore started in New York in 2013 and has run the London rating scheme since 2015. According to the company itself, it now certifies buildings in 42 countries. It works with simple levels, from Certified to Platinum.

The lesson: simple levels are easy to communicate, and international comparability is valuable for investors and tenants with buildings in several countries.

Every country solved part of the puzzle. The art is to put the pieces together.

And the Netherlands itself: the lesson of the energy label

The strongest lesson may be close to home. The energy label started as a way to make energy performance visible. Only once measurement existed could the government steer. Since 1 January 2023, offices in the Netherlands of 100 m² or larger must have at least energy label C.

But the energy label also shows how hard the road is. Shortly before that date, according to RVO estimates, a large share of offices still had no label at all. A label only works once it is widely used.

Read more about the relationship between labels and policy in IT-labels and public policy.

Six lessons for the IT-Label

What do these experiences mean for the IT-Label? We see six lessons:

1. Make the label a selling point. As in South Korea: a label works when tenants and buyers ask for it. That is why the IT-Label targets not only owners, but also tenants, agents and advisers.
2. Assess independently and record. As in Spain: an outsider must be able to verify how a label was determined. That is why every Certified Partner works with the same method, and the partner records the outcome in a report.
3. Update the method regularly. As in Portugal and France: technology changes, so the method must grow with it, with clear versions.
4. Train the professionals. As in Portugal: rules are only as good as the people who apply them. That is why there is the IT-Label Academy.
5. Go beyond the law. As in the United Kingdom and with the European Gigabit Infrastructure Act: the law covers ducts and cables in new buildings. The IT-Label also looks at existing buildings, and measures how the infrastructure works in practice.
6. Keep it simple, and comparable across borders. As with WiredScore: clear levels help. The IT-Label works with six classifications, from IT1+ PREMIUM to IT5 SHELL, with the same meaning in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

What the IT-Label does differently

Many rules and labels abroad mainly look at what is present: ducts, cables, a connection. The IT-Label also looks at how it works. A building with fibre on paper but disappointing performance in practice is scored on practice.

In addition, the IT-Label looks at the whole building: the connection, the network, Wi-Fi, the technical rooms, security and smart building systems. And it is intended for all types of commercial real estate, new and existing.

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the best system?

No country has a perfect system. South Korea showed that a voluntary label can move the market. Spain and Portugal show how to record and check. France shows how the sector and a certifier work together. Every country offers a lesson.

Will the Netherlands get a mandatory digital label, like the energy label?

No such plans are known. The European Gigabit Infrastructure Act does require fibre-ready infrastructure in new and majorly renovated buildings, and leaves countries free to introduce a voluntary fibre-ready label.

What is the difference between the IT-Label and foreign labels?

The IT-Label measures not only what is present, but also how it works in practice. It was developed for the Benelux, for new and existing commercial real estate.

How can I contribute to the method?

Join the Knowledge Collective. There, owners, IT professionals and advisers help shape the further development of the IT-Label.

Learn, and build together

Other countries have tried a lot. We can learn from that, so that in the Benelux we do not have to reinvent the wheel. Would you like to help shape the next step? Join the Knowledge Collective.

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Sources: Brookings, Embracing broadband policy innovation from abroad; CNN, July 2000; BOE, Orden ITC/1644/2011; Spanish government, ICT procedures; Diário da República, Portaria 377/2015; Certivéa, R2S label; GOV.UK, new build connectivity; WiredScore; RVO, energy label C for offices. Checked on 18 October 2026.