How Smart Cities Use Technology to Build Strong Communities

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Nassia Skoulikariti from the Mobile Ecosystem Forum discusses how 5G and edge computing are transforming smart city solutions
Smart cities transform urban life for residents & their vehicles, through technological innovation, making cities safer, cleaner & more connected for all

Smart cities create sustainable, liveable and prosperous communities, through embracing technology. 

Smart technology deployments can:

  • Optimise resource management and reduce waste

  • Improve transportation systems and traffic management

  • Enhance public safety and security

  • Stimulate economic growth. 

These benefits take hold because of the ability to access and act on real-time data, which leads to better policy decisions, fosters citizen engagement, enhances crime detection and prevention, creates high-value citizen experiences and boosts a community’s overall well-being.

Through the technology utilised across smart cities, there can be an enhanced quality of life, a more sustainable environment and attractive locations for businesses and investments. 

Smart cities and private 5G

The term ‘smart city’ first emerged in the 1990s, in reference to cities which were adopting technological systems to advance services. In 1994, Amsterdam began to promote internet usage across its virtual digital city, De Digital Stad (DDS). In 2005, Cisco invested US$25m over five years for research into smart cities.

Bill Baver, Vice President Smart Platform at NTT DATA, has worked in IT for more than two decades and reflects on how much technology has changed in that time.

“It’s amazing. During my career, I’ve been fortunate to support numerous industries and I appreciate the perspective this offers,” he shares. 

Now at NTT DATA, he’s grateful to be part of a team that continues to push out the boundaries of what’s possible. 

“As Vice President of Smart Platform at NTT DATA, I leverage a deep understanding of the value that advanced, predictive and real-time analytics can bring to organisations in both public and private sectors” Bill explains. “Our civic initiatives include advanced analytics deployments for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the city of Las Vegas and the city of Brownsville.”

Bill suggests that the distinguishing factor of a Smart City is one which derives solutions from multiple data sources. When disparate data is combined and evaluated with advanced analytics, civic leaders can use it to improve the citizen experience and use city resources most efficiently.

“For example, we can deploy sensors to monitor traffic and energy consumption. AI can improve public services,” he says. “NTT DATA’s Private 5G – or P5G – extends secure, seamless and high-speed connectivity. When you connect an IoT with analytics through high-speed communications, options and opportunities increase exponentially.”

NTT DATA has end-to-end and full-stack capabilities, so Private 5G is among the many crucial components it brings. 

“NTT DATA’s P5G is an incredibly exciting advance,” Bill continues. “As the name implies, it’s a private high-speed, low-latency, high-capacity networking solution that can serve as the connecting fabric for Smart Solutions. With its speed and capacity, P5G is ideal for connecting and supporting the diverse devices deployed in cities.”

NTT DATA was a first mover in delivering global enterprise Private 5G services to the marketplace. Speaking with clients, the company came to understand that traditional public networks built for consumer applications are often inadequate for supporting new technology and application requirements in smart cities. 

“Public networks are designed for mass market consumer needs and these networks can suffer from bandwidth limitations and interference due to a high number of users in the same area competing for resources,” Bill explains. “Additionally, these networks are unable to provide the reliability, security, control and service level requirements for dependable smart city applications.”

NTT DATA’s Private 5G is designed to help increase transmission speeds, increase network capacity, enable low latency and seamlessly secure wireless connectivity. 

“These advanced capabilities have huge potential for industries such as manufacturing, logistics and warehousing, industrials, Internet of Things, Smart Cities and more,” he shares. 

The company is now leveraging Private 5G today in the City of Las Vegas and will deploy it in Brownsville to create a connected city that uses data to enhance quality of life and public services.

Bill is certain that the intersection of smart cities and P5G has the capacity to reshape urban living. Continuous focus on citizen services, supported by advanced connectivity empowers sophisticated applications and services including autonomous vehicles and advanced healthcare.

“The partnership between NTT DATA and Brownsville is a prime example of how cities can harness technology to enhance the quality of life for residents,” he adds. “Through deployments of Smart Solutions powered by P5G, the city expects multiple far-reaching benefits.”

These include:

  • Enhancing citizen services through real-time data analytics and AI

  • Increasing public safety by employing data-driven insights to enhance public safety and security

  • Achieve sustainability by optimising resource management and promoting eco-friendly practices

  • Managing growth effectively by leveraging technology to improve city services and the citizen experience.

By expanding data sources connected by Private 5G, Brownsville is embracing citizen-focused outcomes that will improve the lives of residents while positioning the city as a leader in civic innovation. 

The future of cities will depend smart technology 

Nassia Skoulikariti is Director of IoT Programmes at the Mobile Ecosystem Forum. As the voice of the mobile ecosystem, Nassia’s work occasionally crosses over into smart cities. 

“The widespread adoption of 5G networks, coupled with edge computing, is playing a crucial role in the evolution of IoT in the mobile sector,” she explains. “This combination allows for faster data processing, reduced latency and improved real-time decision-making capabilities.” 

The convergence of AI and IoT, often referred to as AIoT, is leading to the creation of more autonomous devices that can operate independently, driving innovation in various sectors, including wearables and smart home devices. 

“By the end of 2024, it is projected that there will be over 207 billion connected devices worldwide, spanning from consumer gadgets to industrial equipment,” she explains. “This increased connectivity underscores the growing importance and ubiquity of IoT in the mobile sector, highlighting its potential to transform industries.”

Meanwhile, Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the The Wireless Broadband Alliance, knows that the next phase of cities will depend a lot on technology being smarter, especially in regards to infrastructures. The WBA is an industry body dedicated to driving the seamless and interoperable service experience of Wi-Fi across the global wireless ecosystem. 

“I lead the strategic direction of the WBA and coordinate the overall day to day operations of WBA, working closely with my team, members of the alliance, and board of directors. I also manage and coordinate strategic projects and represent WBA from a public media point of view and on industry engagement activities,” he explains. 

With over two decades of experience in telecommunications, Tiago is passionate about improving the experience on Public-Guest Wi-Fi and by enabling seamless, secure wireless networks that power people, communities and businesses worldwide. He is particularly excited about the potential of OpenRoaming and Wi-Fi 7 and their role in transforming the connectivity experience over Wi-Fi.

WBA is running a series of activities related to smart cities. “We formed the Connected Communities Forum (CCF) as a think tank to help communities, municipalities, CIOs, CTOs and IT managers to share, discuss and learn about key technologies - and in particular - the evolution and new capabilities of Wi-Fi,” Tiago shares. “At the moment we are working with several municipalities across the world on pilots and trials of OpenRoaming, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi HaLow. A good example is the collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government that resulted in the launch of OpenRoaming across over 600 Wi-Fi networks in Tokyo.”

Another example is the field trial of Wi-Fi HaLow in Irvine, California, USA - a challenging environment for connectivity due to its size and multiple story buildings. The test area included a retail plaza, business parks and other urban features, showcasing various smart city use cases such as metering and infrastructure monitoring. Tests focused on range and connectivity, showing successful operations at ranges exceeding 1km from the access point, even through buildings and foliage. The results demonstrate how Wi-Fi HaLow has the potential to transform smart city applications.  

“The future of cities will depend a lot on technology and being smarter about how the different assets and infrastructures within them are used,” Tiago continues. “Cities are growing a lot in terms of population, but physical infrastructure such as roads, parks and transportation capabilities cannot expand at the same rate.”

This is where the power of new technologies such as Wi-Fi 7, AI, IoT, and other wireless technologies, will help city managers better use their current assets and improve planning for the future.

Tiago argues that new technologies will unlock new use cases such as:

  • Immersive virtual experiences

  • Advanced IoT deployments

  • Seamless public-private network integration to better manage and plan the evolution of cities. 

“Many of these topics are discussed regularly at WBA, including with officers from large municipalities, to exchange ideas, concerns, opportunities and learn from each other how to do more with their current assets. In particular for WBA, technologies like Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi HaLow and OpenRoaming will be crucial for inclusivity and innovation within smart city environments.”

This will enable new applications in transportation, healthcare and smart buildings​, or just making the life of a tourist easier by helping them easily connect to Free Wi-Fi. Now a city with less slow-walking tourists – that’s a smart city.

To read the full story in the magazine click HERE


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