New BrightSites smart pole by Signify turbocharges cities’ smart city infrastructure and looks good doing it

• Smart pole is a ready platform for lighting and city-wide 4G/5G and WiFi infrastructure
• Accommodates wide variety of IoT sensors and cameras offering environmental monitoring and enhanced security options such as incident detection. Potential revenue-earning services through telecoms and advertising
• Sleek exteriors and concealed integrated antennas ensure these poles fit into their environment maintaining the city’s overall aesthetic
   

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Digital infrastructure today is important to a city’s economic vitality and quality of life, on par with physical infrastructure like roads, bridges, and water pipes. Yet most components of a city’s digital backbone are insufficient to meet the modern connectivity needs of today (and tomorrow). The new BrightSites smart pole from Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, provides an all-in-one solution. It accommodates a wide variety of IoT applications, always-on connectivity, cameras and environmental sensors – as well as controllable high-quality energy-efficient LED lighting – while maintaining the integrity of the urban environment.
 

BrightSites illustrates Signify’s strategy to leverage lighting infrastructure to develop new capabilities and services for its customers. The innovation further underlines the company’s leadership in lighting for the Internet of Things. 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.
 

Evolution: from streetlight to smart pole
 

The new poles, with enhanced IoT capabilities, underscore the evolution of street lighting from being a municipal utility and cost liability, to a 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.

Some of the plug-in features BrightSites smart poles offer include:
 

• Sensors to provide up-to-the-moment environmental monitoring, such as air quality, noise and incident detection and which collect data to support decisions that can enhance overall livability in urbans areas.
• 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. They then 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.
   

BrightSites smart poles have already been installed in cities around the globe, from New Caledonia to San Jose, US to Hospitalet, Spain. “The BrightSites smart poles have allowed us to transform public spaces by seamlessly integrating technology into citizens’ daily lives,” said David Quirós, City Councilor for Innovation and Culture – Hospitalet, Spain.

The BrightSites series of smart poles are commercially available globally.