Dutch lighting company Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, has launched a new smart pole dubbed BrightSites, the firm said in a release.
The new BrightSites smart pole accommodates a wide variety of IoT applications, connectivity, cameras and environmental sensors as well as controllable high-quality energy-efficient LED lighting, the company said.
Signify added that the new BrightSites IoT poles build on earlier smart pole technology pioneered by Signify and Ericsson that provides LED lighting and 4G LTE wireless connectivity from small-cell base stations housed within the pole.
Signify also said that the new poles act as potential revenue-earning dynamic data point, wireless connectivity hub, and environmental monitor. This ability to host new services, such as telecommunications and even advertising, can generate revenue for municipalities, the Dutch company said.
“We’ve significantly upgraded our smart pole’s connectivity capabilities, including digital sensors and stronger Wi-Fi for local connectivity. Concealed integrated antennas offer 4G and 5G services from multiple carriers. This delivers on the promise of the smart city of the future – transforming the humble streetlight into a platform for delivering smart city services. A new range of sleek designs allow these poles to match any urban aesthetic,” said Musa Unmehopa, general manager of Signify’s BrightSites venture.
Some of the main features offerd by the BrightSites smart poles include:
-Sensors to provide environmental monitoring, such as air quality, noise and incident detection and which collect data to support decisions that can improve urban conditions.
-Cameras which can observe road conditions to help improve traffic flows, guide maintenance decisions and emergency crew deployment.
-Smart microphones equipped with advanced pattern recognition which can be triggered by noises associated with anti-social behavior such as shouting, car alarms, breaking glass, or even gunshots. In the event of such incidents, the smart poles automatically brighten the light, record audio and alert emergency services.
-Display screens which can offer important emergency messaging as well as act as a revenue generator as targeted advertising boards.
The new smart poles have been already deployed in a number of cities around the world, including San Jose, California in the U.S. and Hospitalet in Spain.
“The BrightSites smart poles have allowed us to transform public spaces by seamlessly integrating technology into citizens’ daily lives,” said David Quirós, Hospitalet’s city councilor for Innovation and Culture.
Signify said that the BrightSites series of smart poles are commercially available globally.
