Astral OOH has finished installing what it says is the first street-level network of digital boards, with Telus being the first advertiser to use all 30 columns located in downtown Montreal.

Nathalie Dore, VP of marketing and media creativity, Astral OOH, tells MiC the product uses a special technology (which was in R&D for some time before its launch) that allows the 72″ HD screens to withstand extreme temperatures as well as evade reflection of direct sunlight.

Astral has spread the columns out across core areas of the city, from Atwater Avenue in the west end to St. Denis St in the east, and is allowing up to six advertisers to display their digital ads in a loop, says Dore. The ads run for eight seconds each, as opposed to spots on its digital billboards on highways, which generally run for ten seconds at a time.

The boards are flexible in that they allow clients to interchange messaging throughout the day as it’s linked to a 24-hour control centre. The product is also able to incorporate QR codes and NFC, she adds.

The boards are comparable to the Astral-owned Signature Columns (or “infopillars”) that were placed in Toronto little under a year ago, in that one side contains an advertisement and on the other, a map of the city. The company has an agreement with the city of Montreal to also provide map information on the Digital Column network, but Dore says there are no plans yet to add digital capabilities to the Toronto street columns.