Page 15 - April 2018 Disruption Report Flip Book

SMART CITIES JAANPURAILRY20210818
Fortunately, these questions are being answered through trials and pilot projects, many of which involve companies and organizations that haven’t previously had a major role in the deployment of mobile networks. Network equipment vendors and communications service providers are partnering with municipal authorities, industrial designers, universities and research institutions, electronic component manufacturers and more on the development of smart light poles and other street-level fixtures that incorporate miniaturized 5G antennas and base stations, a variety of sensors, screens to support information displays and advertising — all coupled with energy-efficient smart LED lighting.
In addition to addressing technical challenges, these projects also offer the opportunity to develop best practices in areas such as network planning, urban design, cost optimization, business model development and strategies to share the cost of deploying and managing the network. They also provide an opportunity for the various potential stakeholders in these projects to explore their respective roles in advance of making broader commitments, or investments.
Clearly, the historical approach of installing cell towers to support mobile broadband across large geographic areas will not address the deployment needs of the 5G era; particularly
in densely populated areas with substantial demand in terms of the number of users and applications. The emergence of 5G will necessarily break down any barriers between network planning and urban planning. Given the acceleration in commercialization of 5G we are seeing in the market, integrated 5G/smart city planning cannot begin too soon. (WirelessWeek Blog, Thorsten Robrecht, 03/05/18)
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