Public Internet Access Points (PIAP's) in Kortrijk

Web address of the case:

http://www.kortrijk.be

Country of the case:

Belgium

City/region:

Municipality of Kortrijk

Posting Date:

10 October 2007

Last Edited Date:

05 May 2009

Author:

Mark Hol (City of Kortrijk)

public-services | access-points | kiosks

Type of initiative

Project or service

Case Abstract

The Public Internet Access Points (PIAP's) of the Belgian city of Kortrijk have been established to increase the number of internet connections in public places, effectively improving the access to new technologies for those who canâ€™t afford computers and/or an internet connection at home. The ICT department of the city envisioned the PIAPâ€™s as an electronic link between the people of Kortrijk and the city hall. All Belgians have an electronic identity card, and by combining these with the technology of the PIAPâ€™s, the benefits of the project reach all inhabitants of the city and its seven boroughs.

Description of the case

Domain

eInclusion

Topic

Broadband | ICT and community development

Sector

Communication (infrastructure)

Start date - End date

October 2004 (Ongoing)

Date operational

October 2004

Target Users

Any citizen

Target Users Description

The ICT department wanted to provide a wide spectrum of internet services for those people in the greater Kortrijk area who do not have a computer and/or internet access. These people, who are on the wrong side of what we call the digital divide, can be found in all socio-economic groups and are of all ages. However, the majority of them are youngsters, people of foreign origin and senior citizens.

Scope

Local (city or municipality)

Status

Operation

Language(s)

Dutch

Policy Context and Legal Framework

The objective of the PIAPâ€™s was to provide free and (in principal) unlimited internet access for all inhabitants of the greater Kortrijk area who had a need for this. The PIAPâ€™s should be easy accessible, easy to use and should have the same possibilities as a â€œnormalâ€ computer.This meant that besides surfing on the internet users should be able to use Word, send and receive e-mails, conduct electronic banking transactions and have to possibility to print. The idea was to place an internet-kiosk in each of the seven boroughs and of course in the city itself. In addition to this, a larger number of about 50 public pcâ€™s would be placed in strategic places, for example in the libraries. An internet kiosk is basically a double computer with integrated printer, identity card readers and a possibility to pay electronically for (more than the first free five pages of) printing. As the most visible and most innovating part of the project, the internet kiosks would be the flagships of the entire project.

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

IT infrastructures and products

Overall Implementation approach

Public administration

Technology choice

Proprietary technology

Funding source

Public funding local

Project size

Implementation: €49-299,000

Yearly cost:

€1-49,000

Implementation and Management Approach

The PIAPâ€™s, especially the internet kiosks, have attracted quite some media attention. This has been a great help in advertising them to the general public. Another important aspect in making the possibility of free public internet access widely known is mouth to mouth advertising. In this respect, the PIAPâ€™s are â€œselling themselvesâ€: if one person is satisfied by using them, he or she will tell somebody else.

Technology solution

The ICT department invested a lot of time and effort in searching for the ideal hardware and software for the internet kiosks. Eventually, they decided for eight double consoles made by Connecto and the Sitekiosk software by Provisto. This software is used by many internet cafÃ©s and provides security by building a shell around Windows. Of course, some software had to be specially designed by the ICT department itself.

Impact, innovation and results

Impact

How often the PIAPâ€™s are being used can be determined by the number of â€œsessionsâ€. A session lasts 20 minutes per user, but it can be longer if no one else is waiting. After 20 minutes the computer automatically shuts down. This has been done to ensure that everybody gets his or her turn and that there are no problems between users for their turn. On average the kiosks score somewhere between 15 and 50 sessions per day. The most popular and most frequently used kiosk is the one in the Central Library, with up to 50 sessions per day. It is difficult to determine exactly how much the public pcâ€™s are being used. Innovation: The ICT department envisioned the PIAPâ€™s to be an electronic link between the people of Kortrijk and the city hall. All Belgians have an electronic identity card, and combining these with the technology of the PIAPâ€™s, a form of eGovernment is possible, as people should be able to go to a PIAPâ€™s and get certificates which previously they had to get at the city hall. This means that the PIAPâ€™s would not only be for people without internet access, but would benefit all inhabitants of the city and its seven boroughs. Most of the respondents come to the PIAP to search and find information on the internet (60%) or use web-mail. Having contact with the family and friends (also abroad) is a hot item. 10% of the users access the PIAPâ€™s in order to find a job or to search information related to their job.

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1 - A lack of basic ICT skills among the elderly leads (most of the time) to an opinion by the elderly that information and communication technologies are for the young. This lack of interest in using the Internet leads to long-term â€œdamageâ€. With PIAPâ€™s, this damage can be decreased.

Lesson 2 - A majority of the users of the PIAPâ€™s have a pc at home (60%) and 30% of the users have a pc but no internet connection. We can conclude that most of the users come to the internet access points to search information on the internet, a facility they do not have at home for many different reasons (high costs for subscriptions, archaic infrastructure, etc).

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