Marc Hansen announces the launch of 'Luxchat', an instant messaging service 'made in Luxembourg'

On 16 November 2022, Marc Hansen, Minister Delegate for Digitalisation, announced on the second day of the "Luxembourg Internet Days 2022" the launch in the coming months of a brand new instant messaging service called "Luxchat", entirely developed and hosted in Luxembourg.

In his speech to a large audience of IT experts who attended the event, Marc Hansen stressed how crucial data management and processing issues are to any successful digital transformation.

Government agencies have a substantial amount of data that can be used to improve digital processes or services. Therefore, data security and digital sovereignty are at the heart of several projects of the Ministry for Digitalisation that are about to be finalised.

The "Luxchat" application is the result of the Ministry's desire to provide a secure means of communication for professional communications within the public sector. It is built on a proven open source standard and runs on a redundant and secure infrastructure located in Luxembourg.

This brand new instant messaging service will be launched in the coming months. Initially, a version will be available only to Luxembourg government employees. In view of the many advantages of this application in terms of security, the Ministry for Digitalisation has joined forces with LU-CIX ASBL and the Chamber of Commerce to launch an "open to all" version of "Luxchat" for the entire population.

During his speech, the Minister Delegate for Digitalisation also reminded the audience that the electronic wallet of the Luxembourg State will soon be launched. This "e-wallet" for official documents will initially include identity cards and driving licences. It will allow the holder to identify himself or herself and to present his or her driving licence without having to carry his or her "physical" documents with him or her.

Marc Hansen pointed out that these projects are also in line with the OECD recommendations presented in the study "Digital Government Review of Luxembourg - Towards more digital, innovative and inclusive public services".

He concluded by stating that the findings of the OECD study and the results of the latest Government benchmark are very encouraging and challenging. "It is now up to us to build on this momentum and offer citizens online services that take advantage of the latest technologies."

Press release by the Ministry for Digitalisation