Smart cities need good examples: a new report ranked Singapore as the top smart city in the world. But, four other cities in Europe and the U.S. are also doing a great job at deploying smart infrastructure.
Juniper Research’s 2016 global ranking of smart cities ranked Singapore as the top smart city in the world.
“It was found that Singapore is a world leader in applying smart mobility policies and technology. Meanwhile, the city’s fixed and cellular broadband services, city apps and strong open data policy led to it taking the top spot for 2016,” said Juniper Research. Barcelona got the No. 2 position, showing particular strengths in energy and sustainability policies. London, recently ranked a smart city leader in the U.K. by Navigant Research’s Smart City Index commissioned by Huawei, was ranked No. 3 by Juniper Research, followed by San Francisco and Oslo, Norway.
It should be noted that while Asia is often seen as leading the way in smart city development, Singapore is the only Asian city that made it to Juniper Research’s top five. The analyst firm evaluated about 40 metrics, covering technology, transport, energy, open data and economy, in its ranking.
The research also found cities around the globe are now paying attention to smart grid deployments as they shift towards new renewable energy sources. North America and some parts of Asia are leading the way when it comes to investing in renewable energy technologies. Because the distribution grid landscape is so fragmented in Europe, the region is seen as lagging. Smart grid deployment are expected to deliver $18.8 billion in cost savings in 2021, through reduced energy use and reduced emissions, according to Juniper Research.
Smart city deployment done right
Investing in smart city infrastructure and policies promises to have a major impact on a city’s productivity while creating new revenue streams, but it must be done effectively, Juniper Research pointed out. A recent study by Machina Research commissioned by InterDigital found city authorities and their technology partners could waste $341 billion by 2015, (yes, billion!) by implementing nonstandardized “Internet of Things” solutions for smart cities. The report estimates the cost of global smart city implementations using standardized IoT solutions would reach $781 billion by 2025, as opposed to $1.12 trillion using nonstandardized solutions, a 30% difference in deployment costs.
In the meantime, every city is trying to figure out how to best go about rolling out smart city infrastructure and policies. In China alone, where 1.6 trillion yuan ($260 billion) were invested in smart cities between 2011 and 2015, a total of 500 cities have announced plans to implement smart city systems. Because of the nascent nature of the smart city market, this is a major leap of faith.
There are however resources available to minimize uncertainties when driving a smart city strategy. The TM Forum has created a “Smart City Maturity and Benchmark Model” designed to help cities assessing “strengths and weaknesses in five key dimension areas related to city smartness and to set clear goals as to how it will transform over the next two to five years.”
Drawing on 25 smart city projects, Swiss operator Swisscom, in partnership with the International Institute for Management Development, released a hands-on guide defining steps to a successful smart city deployment, from assessment to execution. They call it “The smart city piano” and it includes seven interrelated and chronologically dependent keys. These are technology infrastructure, business case, politics, regulations, governance, people skills and cultural factors.
That said, no amount of guidance can ensure smart city projects will succeed on their first attempt. Because there are many unknown elements in the equation and because the technology that needs to be deployed is in many cases still being developed, we can expect to see a lot of trial and error.
IIoT news recap: John Deere selects Telit; Seoul on IoT regulation; wearables and biometric data; Nokia and MTS team up on 5G and IoT; NXP expands US DOT partnership
John Deere invests in smart manufacturing, selects Telit’s industrial IoT platform
Agricultural and construction equipment maker John Deere plans to implement Telit’s DeviceWise Industrial IoT Platform at its factory operations. The move is said to enable John Deere to collect and analyze real-time assembly information to “improve line efficiency, prevent unplanned downtime and improve efficiency throughout the supply chain.”
South Korean government to ease IoT regulation
“5G” and IoT are high on the agenda in many countries, including South Korea. The South Korean Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning presented to the country’s president a set of deregulation measures aimed at lowering barriers for IoT businesses, Yonhap News agency reported. “Through this reform on regulations, South Korea is expected to better exert its potential power to lead the fourth industrial revolution,” said ICT Minister Choi Yang-hee.
Consumers ready to give insurers biometric data against lower premiums
Lower insurance premiums could encourage consumers to share biometric data gathered by wearable devices, according to new research by Troubadour Research & Consulting. While almost half of U.S. consumers say they would be willing to share biometric data with insurers, almost 60% state concern about how the data could be used. Millennials are, however, less concerned about sharing their data, 40% against 49% of older respondents, the survey found.
Nokia and MTS to deploy test 5G network in Russia in 2018
Nokia and Russian telecommunications operator MTS Group have teamed up on 5G and IoT in Russia. They announced plans to deploy a test network during an international sports event in Russia in 2018. According to the agreement, both companies will collaborate on the implementation of LTE-Advanced Pro features, coverage and capacity improvements using LTE-Unlicensed and licensed assisted access, IoT projects using narrow-band IoT, LTE-Machine and extended coverage GSM technologies, demonstrations of 5G and dual connectivity of LTE and 5G technologies in the centimeter-wave band as well as the deployment of a 5G test network.
NXP expands partnership with US DOT, showcases smart mobility in Austin with Siemens
NXP Semiconductor announced it has expanded its partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation within the ongoing Smart City Challenge. The challenge will now include NXP’s RFID tagging solutions and smart card ICs, in addition to NXP’s vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology. NXP is also offering test rides in Austin, Texas, together with Siemens, whereby inhabitants can experience V2V and V2I technology.
