The city of Ostend offers free WiFi in the city centre

The city of Ostend is investing in an extensive WiFi network by Citymesh. This way, tourists can easily log in to the network and surf for free in the city centre. After a pilot project with free WiFi in the centre, it has now been rolled out definitively.

A digital plan

The roll-out of the WiFi network is part of the digital plan of the City of Ostend. “The plan should help everyone get started digitally,” says Kurt Claeys (Open Vld). Everyone can surf the city network for free with their laptop, smartphone or tablet. The WiFi network covers the entire city centre and the dyke.

By expanding these networks, the City of Ostend will increase its position as a “Smart City”. A term that is popping up more and more and that can provide cities and visitors with big data.

Tailoring service to the needs of the customer

The network is completely customized according to the corporate identity of the City of Ostend. This promotes customer loyalty and supports the city's marketing strategy. Consulting historical data is also made easy. For example, the city knows how long the WiFi sessions last, which way people use to log in, etc. All this is arranged in the WiFiLab platform of Citymesh itself.

This tool, which can be used for existing networks as well as for new networks, ensures that the city can better tailor its service to the needs of the end-users. A digital backbone that further supports the city.

Photo: Meng Hao