In association with the City of Antwerp, Orange Belgium released Augmented City, a mobile application that offers an augmented reality experience when visiting Antwerp. It will allow people to visit Antwerp in an original way and receive more information about its history. Users with a 5G compatible smartphone enjoy fast access to high-speed data which enables entertaining and educational augmented reality features.
From the Grote Markt to the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), Orange Belgium will pilot visitors through a 3.2-kilometer interactive city tour of Antwerp with Augmented City. During their visits, users will discover historic landmarks in Antwerp, with additional information on their smartphone thanks to augmented reality. And if that smartphone is 5G compatible, the features become even more appealing.
The visitors will follow different characters to guide them through the city’s evolution. Suitable for all audiences, the app developed by the French and German creative studios 9b+ and Syntop offers a route that is off the beaten track with many secret place and hidden gems.
The experience was developed based on pre-recorded panoramic views of Antwerp. Initially designed to introduce the speed and high-quality data of 5G, the app is also compatible with every smartphone, on Android and iOS, regardless of their network requirements or operator. The experience will be available as of tomorrow for free, in Dutch and French, via Apple Store and Google Play.
Orange Belgium partnered up with The Tall Ships Races 2022, which will be in Antwerp, from July 22nd through 25th. More than 100 participants will board over 40 ships for this 7th edition. This year, the event – organized by the City of Antwerp and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges – is expected to be the most sustainable and eco-friendly edition of the competition yet.
As the main partner of The Tall Ships Races 2022, Orange Belgium will be present throughout the gathering, occupying a part of the Ecopolis. Located next to the MAS at Portopolis, the zone will be dedicated to innovative and sustainable initiatives showcased inside four 40 m2 domes. Orange Belgium will welcome visitors inside its own dome to let them try out 5G-driven demos. Activities on-site will also include a virtual reality immersion inside the Notre-Dame de Paris in order to (re)discover the magnificent cathedral as it was before the tragic fire of 2019. The Orange Group proactively contributes to the cathedral’s restoration project by offering resources and technological innovation to bring this heritage site back to life.
Orange Belgium and Cropland provide crowd monitoring services
During The Tall Ships Races 2022, Orange Belgium will also provide crowd monitoring services, in collaboration with the data processing company Cropland. By mapping the connected mobile phones, the number of visitors can be counted, as well as where they come from, how crowded it is, at what time people arrive and leave, etc. The analysis is done entirely on the basis of anonymized data. Through this tool, the number of visitors can be indicated in real time and on a daily basis.
Christophe Dujardin, Chief Customer Officer at Orange Belgium
One of our priorities is to always do our maximum to deliver nextgen services to our customers. With the activation of our 5G network, we will be able to offer even more possibilities as our new network will allow them to experience more speed and better connection in their daily life. And there’s no better way to walk the talk than launching this Augmented City application and provide transparent info during various 5G demonstrations throughout the country. With the Augmented City application we hope the discovery of Antwerp in a unique way will fascinate visitors and even Antwerp residents.
