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.