A smart pole is essentially a simple li­ght pole, equipped with intelligent led lighting, a camera, an electric ve­hi­cle (EV) charging system and high speed internet connectivity. Smart poles represent a cost-efficient, scalable and mo­dular framework for deploying the whole spectrum of smart urban infrastructure, including 5th generation small cells (in the form of cellular network densification), Wi-Fi hotspots, surveillance and traffic cameras, signage and information displays, air quality and flood monitoring solutions, charging points for two-to four-wheel vehicles and drones, and renewable energy generation.

Smart poles can be managed remotely as well. Further, they offer multi-utility functionality and facilities for citizens, visitors and businesses. They are used in highways, roads and public areas. They also feature technology for improving mobile network performance across the city and provide numerous benefits such as better internet connectivity, public anno­un­cements via speakers and charging po­ints to assist citizens in public areas.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the smart pole market. It di­rectly affected the production and shipment of smart pole components, resulting in supply chain disruptions and increased costs. Furthermore, restrictions on mobility and social distancing measures made it more difficult to install and maintain smart poles.

Overview

There is an ever-increasing need for traffic management across various countries, which opens up new avenues for participants in the smart pole industry. With the emergence of various technologies and di­gital infrastructure, smart poles are being used for various purposes such as traffic control and disaster management. These poles can be seamlessly connected to other smart poles to perform different activities, which adds to their demand.

Smart poles are equipped with the latest monitoring and detection technologies such as CCTVs and sensors, which en­ab­les them to provide a quick response in ti­mes of urgency. The alerts provided by these poles help traffic departments take quick action appropriate to the matter at hand. Even mission-critical railway projects are boosting demand for smart poles.

However, the installation cost for these poles is extremely high. This is one of the key issues hindering the demand for smart poles. Moreover, extreme weather conditions can interrupt the functioning of sm­art poles, as can the accumulation of dust, moisture or snow.

Therefore, players in the global smart pole market are more focused on the development of enhanced solutions and partnerships with telecom companies and local bodies for the installation of smart poles.

Global developments

Based on a report by ABI Research, investments in smart pole and smart corridor technologies are expected to grow from $10.8 billion in 2022 to over $132 billion in 2030, worldwide. More than 10.8 million smart poles would be installed by 2030. Co­mmenting on the report, Domini­que Bo­nte, vice-president, verticals and end markets, ABI Research, said, “The age­ing concept of smart cities has largely failed to deliver its promises. New approa­ches are re­quired in the form of more scalable, ho­listic and effective solutions to tra­n­s­form smart urban infrastructure and accelerate its deployment. Smart corridors and smart poles are expected to redefine the intelligent transportation systems and the wider smart cities markets.”

Smart pole technology has been dep­loyed by the governments of Seoul, Los An­geles, Munich and Leuven. There ha­ve been major initiatives in the sector in Eu­rope, with the European Union’s Hum­ble La­mppost Project being one of the most significant deployments. Telensa’s sm­a­rt street light controls have been deployed in 64,000 LED lights in the UK. In April 2022, the European Commission announc­ed that 100 EU cities will be participating in the EU mission for establishing 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030. Since then, smart poles have seen a few use cases in the continent. Budapest, the capital of Hun­ga­ry, has launched the electricity network operator ELMÜ-ÉMÁSZ, a test project featuring five different smart poles with varying functions such as EV charging, Wi-Fi security cameras, LED display, environmental sensors and emergency buttons.

Meanwhile, in the Asia-Pacific region, the smart pole market is expected to grow at a 20.3 per cent compound annual grow­th rate (CAGR) during the forecast period of 2021 to 2027. Signify has supplied LED street lighting, smart poles and a connected lighting system to the industrial parks in Huanggang City in Hubei province, Chi­na. The city has opted for Signify’s Bright­Sites smart poles, LED street lights by Philips and an interactive connected lighting system. This combination provides hi­gh-quality and energy efficient LED lighting, along with two-way communication on a cloud-based platform.

Developments in India

The Indian smart pole market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.24 per cent bet­we­en 2019 and 2027, and reach a valuation of $2.65 billion by 2027. Currently, the development of smart cities is one of the key drivers of the Indian smart pole market. The installation of poles itself can generate savings of over 10 to 20 per cent, in comparison to regular lighting poles.

To boost the government’s Smart Ci­ties Mission (SCM), the New Delhi Muni­cipal Corporation (NDMC) has installed 55 energy-saving smart poles in Connau­ght Place. The poles have features ranging from air sensors to energy-saving LED li­ghting and Wi-Fi connectivity. These lights can adapt and dim themselves automatically to save energy during non-peak traffic hours. This sensor-based smart lig­h­­ting technology is a new initiative taken up by the NDMC to help run the city more efficiently, while also giving it a futu­ristic look.

NDMC has also installed smart poles with a “panic button” near the gates of 43 school buildings, 16 metro stations and ot­her sensitive spots. In times of crisis, a person needs only to press the panic button, which will automatically alert the comma­nd centre, which works round the clo­ck. Officers at the command centres can communicate with the person through the sp­ea­kers installed on the smart pole. A two-way communication facility is provided th­rough the button as well. The person will receive appropriate help depending on their grievance. The CCTV cameras on these poles are capable of 360-degree mo­vement and will be able to capture footage up to a range of 100 metres.

In Chennai, the city police has anno­un­ced their plans to improve traffic management by installing more smart poles, integrated with a command centre. The in­s­tallation will be part of a smart city project implemented by the Greater Chennai Co­r­poration and other departments at a cost of Rs 9 billion.

Smart poles can help in achieving the SCM objectives while keeping the city’s re­quirements in mind. They can contribute to the areas of safety, environment, connectivity and next-generation mobile services, providing robust infrastructure to make cities clean, safe and smart. These poles can also help telecom service provi­ders install 4G-based technology to support strong mobile data networks.

Conclusion

One of the major disadvantages of smart poles is their high cost of production. Ins­tallation and maintenance costs are high as well, making it difficult for small-scale or­ga­nisations to implement them. Regard­less, the smart poles market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, due to the increasing need to reduce energy consumption, improve public safety and security, enhance traffic management, and provide ac­cess to various communication services such as Wi-Fi and 5G.

In addition, the integration of various technologies such as internet of things, artificial intelligence and renewable energy sources with smart poles will drive the growth of the market. Even after the ad­vent of Covid-19, new opportunities have arisen in the smart pole market. With the rise of remote work and online shopping, the demand for reliable, high speed internet connectivity has increased, which can be satisfied by smart poles.

One may notice that there has been a significant boost in the number of smart cities in India. This provides an opportunity to deploy more smart poles and reach the remotest areas. The government is backing such ventures, making India one of the most lucrative markets for smart poles.