Ljubljana Smart Parking: NB-IoT Guidance Signage

Deployment Snapshot

Field	Value
Client	Telekom Slovenije, d.d.
HQ	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Industry	National telecommunications (Deutsche Telekom associated)
Products deployed	IoT Parking Guidance Signage (NB-IoT, 3-digit Flip-Dot), IoT Hub (OPEX-free)
Connectivity	NB-IoT
Deployment type	Production signage with lifetime backend
Order date	September 2023

The Client

Telekom Slovenije is Slovenia's national telecommunications operator, providing mobile, fixed-line, broadband, and digital services across the country. The company has strategic connections to the Deutsche Telekom ecosystem and operates NB-IoT infrastructure across Slovenia, providing the cellular backbone for IoT applications including smart metering, environmental monitoring, and smart city platforms.

The Challenge: Citizen-Facing Parking Information Without Power Infrastructure

Slovenian municipalities need to communicate real-time parking availability to drivers on approach roads — but installing powered LED displays requires electrical connections, cabling, and ongoing energy costs. Many historic Slovenian town centres restrict new electrical infrastructure installations. The challenge is deploying visible, maintenance-free digital parking signage at locations where no power supply exists and where the municipality cannot justify the cost of electrical civil works.

The Solution: Solar-Powered Flip-Dot Signage with Lifetime NB-IoT Connectivity

Telekom Slovenije's September 2023 order deployed Fleximodo's Guidance Signage — a fundamentally different approach to digital parking signage and parking information displays.

The deployment included:

• IoT Parking Guidance Signage (3-digit, Flip-Dot display, NB-IoT) — Solar-powered wireless display showing real-time parking space counts, using high-contrast Flip-Dot technology with reflective coating readable in direct sunlight. NB-IoT connectivity refreshes the display every 10 seconds via Telekom Slovenije's own cellular network. As a parking guidance system, the sign aggregates and displays live counts drawn from Fleximodo's underlying parking occupancy detection network across each site.
• IoT Hub (OPEX-free, lifetime connectivity) — Backend data processing included for the hardware's entire lifetime with no recurring fees, eliminating ongoing subscription costs for the telecom's municipal clients.

The OPEX-free model is strategically important: Telekom Slovenije can include the signage in municipal smart city bundles without layering Fleximodo backend fees onto what the telecom charges its city clients. The Flip-Dot display technology is the key innovation — unlike LED displays that require constant power, Flip-Dot pixels only consume energy when changing state (flipping), then hold their position mechanically. Combined with a solar cell, the display operates completely off-grid with a 30-year rated lifespan and zero maintenance.

For a national telecom, this is a powerful municipal offering: a parking guidance system that requires nothing — no electrical connection, no power supply, no wired network, no maintenance visits — just cellular connectivity running on Telekom Slovenije's own NB-IoT network. True install-and-forget infrastructure.

Fleximodo IoT Parking Guidance Signage: Technical Profile

The Flip-Dot display's energy efficiency enables true solar-only operation — the sign draws power only when the displayed number changes, holding the current count mechanically without any energy consumption.

Specification	Detail
Display type	High-contrast Flip-Dot with reflective coating
Configuration	3-digit (3-unit module)
Power source	Solar cell (self-powered)
Connectivity	NB-IoT (10-second refresh)
Installation	Outdoor, wireless, no electrical connections
Lifespan	30 years
Maintenance	Zero (no external power required)
Operating temperature	-40 to +85 °C
Visibility	Reflective coating, readable in direct sunlight
Ingress protection	IP64

Editorial note: Telekom Slovenije also evaluates Meratch water level sensors alongside Fleximodo parking hardware — reflecting the telecom's broader IoT ambitions across its NB-IoT network.

Fleximodo smart parking technology is deployed in 30+ countries. Explore Guidance Signage | View all products | See also: OTE — Deutsche Telekom subsidiary deploying Fleximodo in Greece | Deutsche Telekom BS — Hannover deployment