Proximus NXT partnered with Flobecq to transform the town into an advanced smart city. However, their standard connectivity solution relied on cabinet infrastructure, which proved unsuitable for certain areas due to aesthetic and practical constraints. Collaborating with Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions and Westbase.io, they needed to devise an alternative that maintained the town’s visual appeal while still delivering robust connectivity.

The Flobecq smart city project utilised Omniflow Smart Poles throughout the town to support services like security cameras, air quality sensors, and sound analytics. Ericsson Cradlepoint 5G routers were embedded directly into the Smart Poles to enable connectivity in those areas unsuitable for cabinets. This compact, self-contained solution provided reliable connectivity while preserving the town’s aesthetic by avoiding additional infrastructure.

• The need for additional cabinet infrastructure in key areas of Flobecq was avoided, preserving aesthetics without compromising the security or reliability of connectivity.
• Compact form factor allowed direct integration within the Smart Poles, simplifying installation and ensuring project timelines weren’t affected.
• NetCloud management platform ensures that the Smart Poles operated by Ericsson routers can be managed easily with minimum resource.

“In the Proximus NXT ‘Analytics, Things & Applications’ team, Westbase.io has become, over the past years, a trusted partner in supporting our 5G use cases. Thanks to their flexibility, can do mentality, creativity and know how, we achieve our goals and are able to deliver state of the art and innovative projects successfully.

Westbase.io has, next to a great technical portfolio, a very good relationship with their suppliers, such as Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions. All this makes us feel confident and makes us proud to be able to deliver Smart Cities projects such as Flobecq.”

– Francis Duvivier, Product and Solutions Manager at Proximus NXT.