The public Wi-Fi network in the Brussels-Capital Region has seen nearly two million user accounts created in three years and will continue to expand during the next term, regional authorities announced.
Wifi.brussels, the region's free Wi-Fi service, has set up a total of 221 hotspots throughout the regional territory, many of which allow users to plug into the network in places across the city like the Grand Place or Parc du Cinquantenaire.
Some of the most popular places where users sign up are nevertheless indoors, such as metro stations or libraries, with the most popular hotspot being the metro station of Gare du Midi, closely followed by that of Arts-Loi, according to BX1.
The Brussels Regional Informatics Centre (CIRB/CIBG) told the outlet that almost two million users had created an account to gain access to a hotspot since October 2016, and that 5 million logins had been registered to those accounts in that period.
"These spots are encountering real success, which contributes to the image of Brussels a modern city, both with residents and tourists," Bernard Clerfayt, minister in charge of Brussels' digital transition, told the outlet.
But certain zones in the Brussels-Capital Region are lagging behind, such areas around the municipalities of Uccle and Watermael-Boitsfort, to the south of the city.
The centre surveyed Brussels municipalities in order to establish new areas where a hotspot could be set up, a measure in line with the new regional government's coalition agreement which said it would work to grow the network during its time in office.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
