Ten years already! The Brussels-Capital Region was ahead of its time when it created Urbizone, the free Wi-Fi service for the general public, well before the development of the smart city and the boom in tablets and smart phones.
By starting with university campuses and colleges, Urbizone initially focused mainly on the student population. Now the free regional Wi-Fi network has moved up a gear, boosted by the Brussels Smart City policy.
A growing number of busy public areas offer free access to the regional network. One of these is the Esplanade Simon Bolivar, next to Brussels-North railway station, which in particular enables refugees from the nearby Maximilen Park to have access to free Wi-Fi so that they can stay in touch with their families.
Etterbeek town hall, Saint-Gilles square, Colignon square in Schaerbeek and the market in Molenbeek are among other recently covered public places.
Wi-Fi coverage in public places is to be further intensified in 2016
