AT&T Signs Up Technology Partners For Smart City Initiative

AT&T has signed up a number of technology firms to its ‘Smart City Alliance’, a framework designed to create M2M applications and services for local authorities.

Cisco, Deloitte, Ericsson, GE, IBM and Qualcomm have joined the alliance, which will work with a number of ‘spotlight’ cities and universities, including Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Chicago and Dallas.

Smart cities are touted by operators and suppliers as a way of transforming the management of public services, stimulating urban development and improving the lives of citizens through connectivity and associated services.

AT&T Smart Cities

Four key areas have been identified by the project as ripe for development – infrastructure, citizen engagement, transportation and public safety. AT&T says cities can see which roads and bridges need maintenance, better inform residents about potential issues, provide real time transit information, more effectively control traffic and even detect when a gun has been fired.

The US operator is also working on a dashboard that will allow cities to remotely monitor information such as power outages and water likes – a bit like a real life version of Sim City.

“From water system sensors to advanced analytics and energy efficiency efforts, Chicago has already taken steps to become a Smart City,” said Brenna Berman, CIO of the City of Chicago. “We are excited to team with AT&T, a leader in Internet of Things solutions, to help us harness the power of near real-time information to create a safer, cleaner and more efficient city.”

One pilot programme will take place in Atlanta, where Ericsson will allow Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an organisation dedicated to protecting water in the Chattahoochee river basin, which provides drinking water for more than four million people.

The organisation will be able to monitor water quality levels in watersheds along the river, along which 60,000 people and live and snakes past industrial complexes, parks and schools.

“This project will result in cleaner water supplies and a more sustainable future for metro Atlanta and beyond,” said Jason Ulseth, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.

Gartner estimates that 1.6 billion ‘things’ will be connected to larger smart city infrastructure by the end of next year.