Following the successful pilot project in Mechelen, where Proximus connected charging stations for electric vehicles to its street cabinets, the company now intends to scale up this activity.
The pilot project is part of the ongoing rollout of fiber, which frees up space in the street cabinets. Proximus intends to re-use this spare capacity as part of its commitment to a sustainable society. These street cabinets also provide interesting advantages. On the one hand, the existing infrastructure allows the cabinets to be easily converted into charging points: electricity is already present, which limits the excavation work. On the other hand, they are often located in attractive city centre locations, which makes it possible to provide access to residents who do not have charging infrastructure at home.
The goal is to provide several thousand new charging points in the public domain in Flanders, with an expansion to the rest of the country in the next five years. The cartography of the street cabinets which meet the required conditions is in the making.Proximus also plans to start installing charging stations in semipublic and enterprise spaces, particularly in parking lots, offering charging-as-a-service to companies, as well as to hospitals, sports clubs, cultural centers, etc.
Through these installations, Proximus wants to supply green power to several thousand vehicles.Proximus is in advanced discussions with several potential partners who will bring the necessary complementarity in terms of skills and with whom it will be able to create synergies.
The goal is to sign an agreement by the end of the summer. With this future partnership, Proximus intends to play a leading role in the supply of charging stations in the (semi)public and enterprise landscape and, via local ecosystems, to continue to grow as well as to invest in a green and circular future.
