The city of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve and Proximus are stepping up the pace to create a smarter urban environment
- Through the Smart City Live Lab, the two partners aim to explore the possibilities and benefits of the Internet of Things and data analytics for both citizens and the city. To this end, Proximus will draw on its expertise in these different fields
- The project will make it possible to test the potential of innovative technological solutions and to analyze their pertinence in real-life situations, for different fields of application such as mobility and tourism
- The partnership further reinforces Proximus’ position as a preferred partner of cities and communities in the context of their digital transformation
- At the same time, the aim is to create an ecosystem of partners supporting the digitization and sustainable transformation of Walloon cities and municipalities
Proximus and Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve have agreed to collaborate on implementing a Smart City Live Lab. The joint project falls within the framework of an agreement with the Walloon Region and will be elaborated under the aegis of the Digital Agency, in line with the Digital Wallonia #Smart Region strategy. It will make it possible to evaluate the potential of "Smart City" solutions in different fields of application, such as security and prevention, administrative efficiency and tourism, and energy management and mobility.
The city as a laboratory for a "Smart Region"
In an initial phase, Proximus and Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve will perform a detailed analysis of the major challenges the City is facing, and define priorities in order to develop conceivable solutions together. At the end of this exploratory phase, the most relevant solutions will be tested in real-life situations, with the city being used as a laboratory. The long-term objective will be to replicate the solutions tested in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve across the country, to convince other Walloon cities and municipalities.
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.
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.
Towards an ecosystem of partners
For the actual implementation of the projects in the context of the Smart City Live Lab, Proximus is relying on its expertise in Internet of Things, data analytics, mobility and security. The opportunity to test the applications created by this expertise in a real-life situation, represents an important step in speeding up the digital transformation of the urban environment.
At the same time, the aim is to install an open ecosystem of partners in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, facilitating innovation by relying on co-creation. The first steps have already been taken in this direction; ORES has confirmed that it will participate as a market facilitator and partner of the public authorities in energy management, in particular in the field of smart municipal public lighting. Be-Mobile, which supports the initiatives of cities and municipalities in connection with the #SmartRegion program, will provide its support through advanced solutions to take on the challenges in the area of smart mobility.
The Smart City Live Lab is supported by the following partners:
