AT&T is building this Smart City, not on rock’n’roll, but on the back of its cellular network. In two announcements, the company has reaffirmed its commitment to Smart City development.
First, it is providing wireless connectivity for use in a new flashing school zone traffic system for deployment in cities and counties across the U.S. This Glance School Zone Flashing Beacon system, made by Applied Information, gives local officials a simple-to-use interface to remotely view and control the school beacons in their communities—those flashing signs that are intended to slow drivers down as they pass through school zones.
“Smart city solutions are designed to address multiple needs of a city—including public safety,” said Mike Zeto, GM and executive director, Smart Cities, AT&T. “Nothing is more important than keeping our loved ones safe, especially our children. That's why we're pleased Applied Information selected us as their IoT connectivity provider. Together, we're helping create a safer environment for students who walk and bike to school.”
The beacons use a cloud and web-based software system with each beacon using its own cellular modem to handle all communication. The AT&T mobile network with its Internet of Things (IoT) platform, AT&T Control Center, is powering the wireless component of the solution.
“The beacons from the Temple/Applied Information team have modernized the County’s school zone flashing beacon system,” said Tom Sever, traffic signal and ITS section engineer, Gwinnett County, Georgia. “The result has been a 90% reduction in the number of calls related to operation of school zone beacons due to improved communication with each beacon. We look forward to using the Applied Information system to provide reliable service to our citizens.”
In other Smart City news from AT&T, the company is teaming with Spruce Finance to bring smart grid solutions to the residential solar industry. Spruce provides consumer finance products to residential solar and efficiency improvement companies, and monitors and maintains the systems of homeowners who have financed their systems with leases or power purchase agreements.
The AT&T Smart Grid advanced metering solution provides a two-way 4G LTE wireless connection and near real-time information advantage for companies like Spruce. The solution includes smart grid meters and sensors, access to the LTE network and head-end applications for management of Smart Grid devices, and ongoing professional service support.
“We are committed to helping cities become smarter, cleaner and more energy-efficient,” said Mike Zeto, general manager and executive director, AT&T Smart Cities. “Innovation in the energy utility sector is a major component of the smart cities equation. We look forward to working with Spruce to deploy the next generation of IoT smart energy solutions in our communities.”
Edited by
Alicia Young
