About two-thirds of the world population is estimated to be living in cities by 2050. This rapid urb­anisation is expected to put pressure on city infrastructure. In order to deal with the inc­reasing pressures of provi­d­ing for a larger population, many countries are experimenting with the smart cities concept. A smart city is an urban development vision, which integrates multiple information and communication technology (ICT) solutions to manage a city’s assets such as transportation, water supply, waste management, power plants and community services. While there are multiple views about what constitutes a smart city, almost all stakeholders agree that ICT applications are at its core to enhance the quality of services delivered to residents.

Smart cities need massive telecom infrastructure and cloud and data centre framework for the quick deployment of ICT components in various domains.

Enabling a smart city

Enabling a smart city will require efforts from a large number of players including system integrators, telecom service provi­ders, equipment vendors and telecom infrastructure companies.

A smart city will essentially have three layers – the application layer, the information highway, and the core. The application layer will be a platform for all the city’s ser­vi­ces. Real-time data will flow from the app­lication layer through the information highway into the core. The core will comprise control rooms and data centres. At the core, data will be analysed and informed de­c­isions will flow back through the information highway to the application layer, which will help in enhancing the city’s services.

Once the basic infrastructure has been set up, the various domains of a smart city will have to be interconnected for efficient results. For instance, energy and water services will have to be connected with smart grids and smart meters, waste management with vehicle tracking, disaster management services with control rooms and early warning systems, transport services with automatic traffic management, safety and law and order with surveillance cameras, etc.

Telecom requirements for smart cities

The applications and technologies essential for setting up an interconnected smart city include location-based services, mobility, ana­lytics, cloud computing, advanced mete­r­ing, near field communication, big data, the internet of things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, mic­rogrids and augmented reality.

  • M2M communication: In M2M technology, data can be automatically collected and transmitted from various sensors through a network module. With specific gateways, the data can be decoded, which can further be used by analysts for machine automation. However, M2M com­munications are vertical in nature and cater to specific business processes. Thus, in a smart city, various operations need to be correlated to achieve higher productivity and efficient outcomes.
  • IoT: IoT offers a horizontal view, integrating different industry verticals into one process. It will form the basis of smart cities as the technology facilitates the interconnection of a large number of machines, devices, sensors and actuators with each other as well as with other higher-level systems including the cloud.
  • Cloud services: With the help of the cloud, domain-specific applications and services can be scaled up without investing more in the infrastructure. There­fore, the elasticity of cloud resource provisioning can help virtual verticals manage fluctuating user demands. A smart city will require a cloud-based service delivery platform, which integrates smart devices and infrastructure, and pro­­cesses data from a large amount of scattered data sources in real time.

In enabling the above, telecom infrastructure providers have an important role to play. Smart cities need sustainable tower solutions to integrate such technologies. It is essential to ensure the safety of towers and assess their technical feasibility for current and future loadings. Further, tower companies will need to provide solutions that can be deployed in a short time with high quality, and re-deployed if the need arises. Moreover, in a smart city, data traffic is expected to rise manyfold. Due to the huge demand for data traffic, in-fill sites will be required to support the existing network. In addition, towercos will need to focus on reducing energy and diesel consumption at cell sites to improve the quality of life in urban areas.

Challenges and the way forward

While building a smart city is desirable, there are certain challenges that may arise in its development. In some cases, building a smart city may require redevelopment and retrofitting of an existing city’s assets; in other cases, a greenfield concept may have to be used. Therefore, each city will require a different business model and the role of ICT in different landscapes will vary accordingly. Further, the integration of multiple services will lead to the involvement of multiple agencies. As a result, service delivery will become more complex. In addition, there are multiple definitions of a smart city and different cities may define their own priorities. This can make the task of the telecom industry complicated as it will have to develop city-specific solutions to address different needs. Nonetheless, creating a smart city is the need of the hour. An integrated approach is needed to leverage technology and improve the efficiency and capacity of city services. s

Based on presentations by Pankaj Sachdeva, Telecom Director, Ramboll India and Sudhir Gupta, VP and National Head, Business Development, Indus Towers