Telenet is building NB-IoT-powered smart parking and Wi-Fi enabled passenger analysis in the first steps of Brussels South Charleroi Airport’s (BSCA) strategy to tap into the Internet of Things.
Around 25,000 passengers per day visit BSCA and the airport has embarked on a five year project to transform it into a “digital dome”.
It wishes to improve the running of the airport as well as the passengers experience from when they arrive until their departure.
Work is underway on improving the quality and density of BSCA’s Wi-Fi network in order to provide it with visitor location data. The first data will be provided during next year and Telenet and BSCA will also develop flow mapping and analysis software.
The information will then be analysed to determine the best layout of the airport, as well as offer personalised services to visitors and guide them to their departure.
[Read more: Proximus and Telenet push 4,5G boundaries in Europe at MWC]
Next summer, BSCA will open 500 smart parking spaces powered by NB-IoT. According to research from the company, parking is cited as the biggest issue among passengers and visitors.
The new parking system, again jointly developed by BSCA and Telenet, will allow drivers to reserve and pay for a parking space online through the airport’s CRL Airport app. Smart cameras will then recognise a vehicle’s number plate and NB-IoT powered sensors will guide the car to a free space.
The two solutions will form the first steps in a wider ecosystem of smart solutions. BSCA said it wants to use Telenet’s IoT platform to open the airport to start-ups and universities keen on building new kinds of services.
John Porter, CEO at Telenet, said: “We’re very happy to be able to contribute to the development of an economic hub such as Brussels-Charleroi airport…We would like this strategic partnership to serve as a showcase for our technological expertise, and as a starting point for the launch of new collaborations, both with private companies and the local authorities.”