On this episode of HetNet Happenings, host Sean Kinney takes a look at Ericsson initiatives and solutions geared toward enabling the smart cities of the future.
Smart cities combine virtually everything RCR Wireless News covers — access networks, densification, the “Internet of Things,” autonomous driving and more — and uses those different technologies to create a smart city that could potentially change the quality-of-life for millions of people all at once.
Ericsson refers to this as the “Connected Industry & Society” in their programming. To get a good understanding of what that means, we spoke to Ericsson’s head of connected industries Alejandro Ferrer to get a high-level overview of the company’s strategy. These clips were filmed on location at the CES 2016 event.
Ferrer mentioned smart meters; Sean Schnair, director of machine-to-machine and IoT solutions, demonstrates the company’s smart metering solution.
We also previewed a connected water solution that’s geared toward sustainability. Charles Dasher, an Atlanta-based technology design lead, shows how the product works.
Smart cities are still in their infancy, but we’re seeing a long-term global movement toward urbanization that’s well documented by organizations like the United Nations. What this means is that at some point cities are going to have to get smarter and get connected to the residents otherwise they’re going to be totally unusable. Ferrer tells us what he’s expecting the big 2016 trends to be in this space.
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