Free WiFi to empower and connect the community

The city of Trier, is the oldest city in Germany. While the city centre exudes a quaint ambiance, with its treasure trove of Roman ruins, Roman emperors and later bishops have made this city what it is today. A forward-thinking city that is continuously using technology to improve the quality of life for its citizens and the many tourists who flock to discover its famous Christmas market!

The city’s commitment to deliver a better quality of life while taking into account financial and environmental factors is at the heart of its digital transformation. The city has launched a series of smart initiatives in line with this digital strategy that are ‘people-centred’ while significantly reducing the amount of resources the city consumes to massively reduce CO2 emissions and dependency on fossil fuel. 
 

Citizens at the centre

SWT Stadtwerke Trier (SWT) is responsible for implementing the city’s smart initiatives, which are in line with the Digital Strategy launched in 2014. The SWT does not see technology as an end in itself, but considers it a tool, to help them deliver better services and improve the quality of life for everyone in their city. 

For the SWT, free WiFi connectivity is an essential foundational layer for their smart city. Modern citizens expect to be connected at all times, especially the 20,000 students who live in the city!
Free WiFi also helps to bridge the digital divide. People who may not have reliable access to online services are able to go online for education, job searches, or to communicate.
The success of a pilot project that provided free WiFi during the 2015 Christmas market reinforced the SWT’s conviction and they started to analyse how they could install a more permanent infrastructure in the city centre without having to dig up ground around the UNESCO sites. 

At that time, the SWT was thinking of replacing the street lights in the city centre with the ModulLum, a luminaire they knew well. As luck would have it, the Shuffle which had been launched a few months earlier was ideal for what they wanted to do. 
 

Goodbye to data woes

The SWT opted to install the Shuffle street lights with integrated WiFi access points , throughout the area around Hauptmarkt, the city’s large market square in the city centre. The Shuffle provides a reliable and secure infrastructure for the access points, which ensure the necessary bandwidth and quality of service for a perfect surfing and communication experience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

All residents and visitors can connect for an hour each day. On average, more than 5,000 people take advantage of this free service every day, with notable spikes when tourist buses arrive. It is a great advantage for the 2 million tourists who visit each year. They can enjoy an internet connection without roaming charges, which encourages them to stay longer, boosting the local economy.

Residents can have up to 4 hours free if they download the city app. No tracking is carried out on the app in compliance with GDPR regulations. 
The SWT plans to extend the free WiFi to other areas of the city in the near future.  
 

Sustainable lighting

The Shuffle delivers a soft white light to create a a more efficient, sustainable and safe city experience at night. It has enabled the city to save energy, cut CO2 emissions and lower operations and maintenance costs all while keeping citizens safe and satisfied. 
The refined column seamlessly integrates into the city centre, rich in architecture and UNESCO sites. 

Residents and tourists can gather at any time to marvel at the well-preserved townhouses that create a mixed cityscape of Renaissance, Baroque, Classicist architecture or simply enjoy a chat or connect with family and friends.


Customer: SWT Stadtwerke Trier