Bugging Belgium?

Do you remember the bad old days when the GPO ran out telephone services? OK, the technology was old, but let's be honest, it was crap. Now, try to imagine the GPO stripped of all concepts of customer service and iffeciency, and you have Belgacom, the mainly state-owned service that is inflicted on us.

I am somewhat bemused by speculation that the NSA or one of its clients is suspected of spying on Belgacom. Apparently this has been going on for two years. There is a certain anti-Americanism here in Belgium, so this is quite a popular story as it gives them something to blame somebody else for, which is an instinctive reaction here whenever anything goes wrong, which it often does.

To be fair, Belgacom is not alone in its inadequacy, the phone provider Mobistar is equally bad.

For those who have never seen this, just enjoy (captions in English)....