Infrastructure company Arqiva and IoT specialist Sigfox have gone live with their first 10 smart city sites across the UK.
The two companies first announced their partnership in May, with the aim of bringing mobile connectivity to cities in order to help them improve facilities, cut costs and deliver new kinds of services.
Each of the cities is now connected to Sigfox’s global IoT network. One of the first sites to join it was the London borough of Greenwich, which will be the venue for the UK’s first pilot of driverless cars.
Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Executive Vice President Network and Business Development at Sigfox, said: “This two-way IoT network, which has been rolled out quickly and easily, eliminates the cost and energy-use barriers to widespread adoption of the Internet of Things by UK municipalities and companies.
“Through this project, Arqiva and the UK are presenting a clear example to governments and network operators around the world of how conveniently the Sigfox network can help make the IoT’s many projected benefits a reality.”
Wendy McMillan, Managing Director of Smart Metering and M2M solutions at Arqiva, added: “Our network is truly unlocking the promise of the Internet of Things. Together with existing connectivity, such as street-level Wi-Fi, these cities are becoming hubs for digital innovation.
“A whole host of smart city and intelligent building applications can now deliver strong benefits – from smart parking and waste level monitoring through to connected smoke alarms.”
The move brings the UK into line with markets such as Spain, which is running a range of different smart city projects. In October, NEC launched a “smart rubbish” solution in the city of Santander. Elsewhere in Europe, Deutsche Telekom is running a smart parking project in Pisa.
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http://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/Press-Wire/broadcom-expands-wiced-iot-offering-with-dual-band-audio-chip-and-nfc-functionality
http://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/Press-Wire/iot-bingo-arrives-at-30bn-connected-devices-by-2020