In the city of Brownsville, Texas, Nokia and NTT DATA have delivered private 5G for a range of smart city applications
From a technological perspective, the variety of cellular-enabled solutions that could be present in a city is effectively open-ended; given this complex and vast addressable market, the digital transformation from city to smart city has been slower than in other areas. However, as business models, ecosystems, strategies and tech stacks have evolved, smart cities could be poised for a break out—in fact, Nokia and NTT DATA recently announced a global, joint go-to-market partnership focused on bringing private 5G connectivity to bear on a wide range of smart city use cases across airports and cities.
In Brownsville, Texas, Nokia, NTT DATA, city officials and an ecosystem of other partners are working to make the city the most connected in the world while also building a future-ready platform. Leveraging the recent deployment of fiber optics throughout the city, Brownsville elected to stand up a private 5G network to build the coverage foundation needed to deploy a range of applications like predictive road maintenance, improved situational awareness for law enforcement and first responders, enhanced connectivity for residents and businesses and more. The network as a service solution will allow the city to gather extensive data from all current devices and new ones being installed – from thousands of city assets such as real-time computer vision, wireless access points, and optical, audio and motion sensors –to create an Internet of Things (IoT) smart city platform.
Discussing the Brownsville project specifically and, more generally, Nokia’s and NTT DATA’s joint plans for private 5G for smart cities, Parm Sandhu, NTT DATA vice president of enterprise 5G products and services, stressed the importance of partnering with the end-user, then assembling an ecosystem of technological providers that a, together, can effectively hide the complexity of the solution and foreground what that solution delivers.
“We collaborate closely with our enterprise clients, starting with understanding their specific needs and then assembling a comprehensive ecosystem of technology providers that together can simplify the solution. Our approach is to hide complexity and focus on real, impactful outcomes.” Sandhu told RCR Wireless News on the sidelines of the recent Mobile World Congress Las Vegas. “It’s crucial that our private 5G networks are not only transformational but also CIO-friendly, ensuring seamless integration into existing enterprise environments.”
In a statement, Brownsville’s Chief Information Officer Jorge Cardenas said private 5G is an “essential” part of Brownsville’s evolution. “This cutting-edge network will provide faster connectivity and foster the adoption of emerging technologies. By prioritizing private 5G, we’re positioning Brownsville to stay ahead in technological innovation and economic progress.”
Nokia’s Jeff Pittman, head of enterprise market unit, mobile networks in North America, said the work in Brownsville with NTT DATA and other stakeholders today delivers “cutting edge private 5G technology and [a] private wireless system to help address their needs as well as be to scale for future needs as well.” Looking more long term at the joint go-to-market, he said, “Cities are becoming more connected and smarter than ever before which means that they’re also generating more data than ever before…Organizations need someone to handle that complexity…We’re leveraging the experience Nokia has in deploying large-scale networks with the expertise that NTT DATA has in integrating complex IT and OT systems and applications.”
Thinking long-term about Brownsville, it’s vibrant cross-border economy, the presence of the largest liquified natural gas port in the country, the future of SpaceX in the area, and the “entrepreneurial spirit” of city leadership and residents, Sandhu said, “It’s going to be a great case study for others to learn from around the world.”
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