Telenet announced new agreements to develop smart city services with the Watt Factory and the city of Mechelen.

The Watt Factory is a smart city hub for Flemish start-ups to develop their services in mobility, energy and buildings. The hub coaches 15 selected start-ups each year for six months to help them scale up and attract investors.

Telenet will provide connectivity for the hub to help develop the IoT services and platforms. The start-ups can also use the Telenet Innovation Center to test and develop their prototypes.

Based in Ghent, the Watt Factory is also expanding to the IoT hub The Beacon in Antwerpen and in Mechelen. Telenet was previously based in the latter city and continues to have significant operations there. It will work with the Watt Factory and city to develop a local IoT ecosystem.