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The town of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve will be a test bed for a range of smart city solutions which will then be rolled out across Belgium
Belgian telco, Proximus, has signed an agreement with the town of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, to implement a smart city initiative. The agreement is part of the broader Digital Wallonia strategy, which aims to fast track the digitalisation of the Walloon region of Belgium.
Proximus will set up a Smart City Live Lab in the town, which will focus on evaluating the potential of Smart City solutions in different fields such as security and prevention, administrative efficiency and tourism and energy management and mobility.
"The choice of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve was a logical one. There is a diverse infrastructure, population and ecosystem in a medium-sized town, which makes it an ideal laboratory for carrying out the tests," said Alex Bosmans, public sector manager at Proximus.
During the initial phase of the project, Proximus will perform a review of the challenges the town is facing, and then suggest smart solutions to overcome them. Following the completion of the initial phase, the most relevant solutions will be tested in the lab in a number of real life scenarios. The successful solutions will then be rolled out in other towns and cities across Belgium.
"I am delighted to welcome this innovative project. The aim is to make the Smart Cities concept more tangible for the general public. One could imagine a smart lighting system in public parks to increase security, or a solution facilitating the management of flows and movements of crowds at events. Those are just two possibilities among many; the main thing is that they meet the needs of citizens," David da Câmara Gomes, the alderman for Mobility, IT and Administrative Simplification in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve.
Proximus will leverage its expertise in Internet of Things technology, data analytics, mobility and security to deliver a range of cutting edge solutions as part of the project.
