The defence ministry plans to build a new East Flemish army base in Ursel (Aalter) Plans to build the new base near Geraardsbergen are no longer under consideration Plans to close the Koksijde air base in West Flanders have also been scrapped The defence ministry will even increase housing for military personnel in Koksijde The previous government decided to build a new army barracks in Geraardsbergen (East Flanders) ‘A project in ‘Aalter/Ursel’ was always the defence ministry's preference but was rejected by the previous government in favour of Geraardsbergen,’ says an officer involved in the dossier There are claims former prime minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal Open VLD) who hails from a neighbouring municipality promoted Geraardsbergen for electoral reasons the defence ministry already owns a lot of land and it even has a small airport there The current government is now following the defence ministry’s preferred option: Ursel Both the Belgian armed forces’ air component and the land component are showing great interest in the site ‘Both components are looking for additional space and it has not yet been decided who will get preference,’ said one person involved The land component claims it could use the space and green surroundings at Ursel especially now that many new armoured vehicles are being delivered The defence ministry wants to recruit almost 10,000 extra staff during this parliament and that will require extra space Plans to sell the Koksijde air force base have now been completely reversed the defence ministry will also build new housing Search and Rescue capacity including the NH90 helicopter will remain based at Koksijde the defence ministry will also invest in new rescue helicopters so that the NH90 helicopters can be fully deployed to the Navy frigates There are also plans for a new command centre at the Zeebrugge naval base Plans to build a tower are being changed to an underground command centre due to the current security situation the foundation stone will be laid for a new headquarters for the Belgian armed forces at the Queen Elisabeth Base The new headquarters will be on the site of the old NATO HQ high-security site including several buildings will accommodate nearly 4,000 staff The main building itself consists mainly of offices with 2,800 workstations that will house all services of the Defence Staff the Military Intelligence Service (ADIV) as well as ‘Cyber Command’ The new headquarters will cost 500 million euros There will also be at least two new ammunition storage sites the defence ministry still has one large ammunition depot near the Walloon town of Bertrix As the ministry wants to expand ammunition stocks once again space is also needed with more secure storage The ministry wants to open two new storage sites where ammunition manufacturer FN Herstal has a factory RTBF and Proximus NXT have successfully covered the Viva For Life broadcasts live in Bertrix several cameras and a big screen were connected to a private 5G network The success of this pilot project opens up opportunities for other 5G use cases for the RTBF teams in the future RTBF organized a major solidarity and fundraising campaign to fight child poverty in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation RTBF presenters and teams were deployed in Bertrix providing round-the-clock coverage on television radio and social networks as well as online The 2023 edition also gave RTBF's technical teams the chance to team up with Proximus NXT and test new live coverage technology using a temporary 5G private network supported by its ecosystem of top partners conducted a "proof of concept" throughout the week of the Viva For Life broadcasts a temporary private 5G network was set up in Bertrix enabling RTBF to connect two remote-controlled cameras and receive video feeds from these cameras in their control room on the event site These two panoramic cameras were connected to a 5G network dedicated to RTBF while the audience on site got to watch the live feed on a screen connected to a 5G router The 5G setup for the 2023 Viva For Life edition did not replace RTBF's wired installations performance and stability of such an infrastructure during a six-day live event hardware and protocols using 5G technology this project was meant to test a private 5G network under real-life conditions and gain more confidence and experience in using this setup for covering major live events The success of this full-scale test is excellent news considering Viva For Life is a mass event with live HD broadcast of audio and video content on various RTBF platforms requiring perfect image and sound quality and latency-free fluidity A 5G private network as the one in Bertrix is able to deliver this level of quality as it is a mobile network dedicated to meet the needs of a particular organization lower latency and better security than public networks greater reliability and enhanced efficiency The success of the Viva For Life test opens up exciting prospects for the future While RTBF currently relies on wired systems it has a keen interest in making more use of the mobile network reducing cable dependence and enhancing camera mobility Private 5G networks are an ideal solution for media coverage of e.g The technical experts of Proximus NXT are eager to continue their collaboration with their colleagues at RTBF in the future to provide viewers and listeners on various RTBF platforms with high-resolution video and audio streams and perfect image quality Get all our press releases delivered straight to your inbox the Christmas parades promise magical moments for young and old alike Belgium is transformed into a veritable fairytale in the run-up to Christmas with magical parades taking place all over the country which light up the streets and enchant young and old alike are the perfect opportunity to get into the holiday spirit Discover this season’s must-see Christmas parades The Grande Parade de Noël in Brussels is a must-see for the end-of-year festivities the heart of the Belgian capital comes alive with a magical parade Taking in iconic landmarks such as the Grand-Place the parade lights up the city with sparkling floats costumed performers and a magical atmosphere that enchants everyone 📍 It takes place all over the city center 📆 Every Saturday evening in December from 6pm to 8pm The RTL Christmas Parade returns this year to light up the town of Bertrix on Friday with a procession made up of the Pôle Express It’s a magical evening not to be missed The Péruwelz Christmas Parade is a highlight of the festive season It takes place on the last Sunday of the Christmas market This enchanting parade winds through the streets of the town offering a dazzling spectacle of decorated floats An unmissable family event that celebrates the magic of Christmas in a warm and friendly atmosphere is a festive celebration packed with entertainment for the whole family In addition to traditional chalets and an open skating rink contests are held throughout the month of December amazes visitors with its illuminated floats and dancers It’s a real touch of magic to close this festive edition Les Hivernales de Gembloux is a fairytale celebration combining crafts festive entertainment and family activities the Christmas parade on December 15 will light up the streets skating rink and strolling shows will enliven the Esplanade Place Saint-Jean and Place de l’Hôtel de Ville A not-to-be-missed event to immerse you in the magic of the festive season Reload the page View all help Viva for Life is testing a private 5G network deployed by Proximus NXT for live coverage of its programs A complementary system and a mix of ecosystems lay the foundations for a network with guaranteed connectivity RTBF's Christmas Eve charity campaign has become a true institution The idea is simple: in a town in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation three presenters take turns to collectively spend 144 hours broadcasting non-stop while locked up in a cube for everyone to see it is organized in the municipality of Bertrix The aim of the initiative is to raise funds to fight child poverty by reaching as many people as possible through multimedia content (radio and technological challenge for which they use a private 5G connection this year "The desire to streamline technical resources in order to better manage the impact of the technological rollout was present even at the very start of Viva for Life,” Pascal Cardoen Site Management Advisor responsible for relations between Charleroi - Mons - Namur at RTBF we want to guarantee a quality service for a live event or a recording of content for post-production." In short the system had to remain flexible while offering the technical resources needed to produce content Site Management Advisor in charge of Charleroi - Mons - Namur relations at RTBF Viva for Life 2023 has opted for a solution that combines wired installations with 5G technology for capturing live broadcasts "The private 5G network comes on top of the infrastructure put in place by RTBF," Pascal Cardoen continues the private 5G antenna guaranteed constant bandwidth and flow with downlink speeds of up to 1 Gbps and uplink speeds of over 100 Mbps “The private 5G network avoids saturation because it is isolated and invisible with a conventional SIM card and independent of the public network,” stresses Eric Van Wettere Pre-Sales Expert for the private 5G network at Proximus NXT Within the context of this “Proof of Concept’ this is a considerable advantage when it comes to connecting two pan-tilt-zoom cameras and a giant screen for live coverage in the Place de Bertrix This is the first time the private 5G network has been deployed at a mass event and over such a long period (144 hours live) while also demonstrating its effectiveness for all data flows "Aside from reducing the amount of cable needed by many kilometers this technology has proved that it is an asset as a priority network for a special event," Pascal Cardoen emphasizes from now on the private 5G network will play an important role The dedicated solution requires the installation of a private antenna and public 5G makes it possible to take advantage of the slicing option "This involves reserving some of the bandwidth of the public network for private use," Eric Van Wettere explains There is no on-site installation required and slicing will undoubtedly make life easier for media professionals by guaranteeing them a constant connection "The ultimate aim is to capitalize on 5G technology to capture and transfer video streams which are then routed to a remote control room such as via Proximus' extensive fiber network This type of filming is more efficient in terms of the equipment and human resources deployed on site.” Viva for Life's private 5G network experience was made possible through a collaborative process that began more than a decade ago "Bertrix is the full-scale version of all the tests carried out upstream," Pascal Cardoen explains "This has enabled us to see that it was appropriate to co-create together with a view to making our equipment and technical protocols some of which are very specific to the media so that we can use the private 5G network in a fluid way we were able to build a tailor-made solution that can now be replicated for other live events." A key objective of the approach by Proximus NXT This co-creation approach requires a great deal of investment on both sides and always in cooperation with the customer and the partners involved in the project "We mixed two engineering departments and two types of business," Eric Van Wettere continues "But it's precisely by doing this that we've been able to better understand how our two ecosystems work we grew and enriched each other with a unique experience A 5G private network is a dedicated mobile network to meet the needs of a given organization It offers greater guarantees in terms of bandwidth and more security than the public networks It is therefore ideal for companies seeking to implement advanced applications such as augmented reality Would you like to develop and produce a 5G project for your company Our 5G experts support you from the concept to the implementation of your project One magazine is the Proximus B2B magazine for CIOs and IT professionals in large and medium-sized organisations in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Proin accumsan vulputate arcu et auctor nulla vestibulum id Proximus installs cookies to analyse the use of its websites to improve your browsing experience and to better tailor the content and the advertisements on its websites to your interests Partners with whom Proximus collaborates can also install advertising cookies via the Proximus websites in order to show you advertisements that may be relevant to you on other websites and social media Please note that if you block certain cookies this may hinder the correct functioning of the website Cookie policyNew window the teenager's mother posted on Facebook to announce that her son had died as a result of his injuries The police are investigating the influence of the Momo challenge as a potential cause for the teenager's suicide According to Sudpresse the young boy's mother wrote a message dedicated to her son and how he was full of life until he followed through on this "crazy idea." The police have not yet excluded the Momo challenge as a reason for the young teenager's suicide The mother's post also suggests a link to the Momo challenge: "This time the game was different and had much more drastic consequences.. 13 year old in coma following suicide attempt potentially linked to Momo challenge The cadet national team of Montenegro played without goals against the corresponding selection of Belgium in a friendly match in Bertrix the players also passed the test on the psychological level They showed that they can to rise only two days after the defeat and be equal with the favored opponent" said Sava Kovačević so there were much fewer chances than in the first match Our selection had better chances - Kosović failed to punish the mistake of goalkeeper Pirar but Origi's shot on the goal line was stopped by Milović "And in this match we were a more than equal opponent to the excellent selection of Belgium What we said before was confirmed - that these matches were an ideal rehearsal before the qualification tournament Given that this was the last chance to try some new ideas we played we are a team with Milović at stopper and Šarkić at left back which turned out to be a complete hit," Kovačević said our selection will host a qualifying tournament in which Spain The 13 year old is currently in a coma. It appears that the teenager may have taken part in the morbid "Momo Challenge" The Momo Challenge consists of a form of cyberbullying in which users contact a phone number by the name of "Momo" who then coaxes the user to do increasingly dangerous tasks that ultimately lead to suicide The phenomenon has already driven young people to commit suicide all over the world The public prosecutor in the province of Luxembourg has ordered an enquiry to discover the circumstances surrounding the suicide attempt particularly whether there are any links to the Momo Challenge the Betrix teenager is currently in hospital in Liege and is in a critical state 10 Days ago a teenager in France committed suicide due to the "Momo Challenge" The dangerous “Momo Challenge” has reached Luxembourg Warn your kids about The Momo Challenge