Operators Win Smart City Hearts With Mix of Broadband Techs

Broadband providers are winning over urban CIOs and smart-city planners by using a cost-effective mix of access technologies to deliver Internet connectivity to high-margin and under-served, typically low income, regions.

As they invest in connected devices such as traffic lights, parking meters and transportation, as well as the analytics, storage and security systems surrounding these Internet of Things solutions, many smart cities also seek to end their digital divides. Many residents in the eight most connected cities -- such as New York, London, Delhi and Paris -- do not have Internet access, according to a 2017 study by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA). (See Disconnected in the City.)

Last year, 19% -- or 1.6 million people -- of New York City residents were unconnected, the research showed. One tenth of Muscovites (1.2 million) were similarly unable to connect, according to WBA.

Those numbers may have decreased somewhat due to initiatives underway in some cities, such as New York, said Tiago Rodrigues, general manager at Wireless Broadband Alliance in an interview with Broadband World News. With more cities, large and small, looking to connect their entire populations, many are turning to service providers for a quid pro quo that may be more attractive in light of today's expanded technology options.

"There is interest, the appetite, to explore any type of technology to provide cheaper and faster broadband access. If it's possible using the asset that already exists on the ground, perfect, they will do that," Rodrigues said, referring to copper- and coax-based technologies such as Gfast and VDSL. " Some are open to different technologies to address broadband penetration. Each city may vary a little bit, based on their policies and interests."

This is vital, given some cities' mandates that require providers to serve low-income areas if they are granted rights to more lucrative regions of a city. For each Fifth Avenue, they must offer broadband to a borough that currently does not have high-speed service, he said.

New York uses this approach, Rodrigues said. And other cities increasingly are adopting this tactic, he noted. However, cities typically do not dictate the type of technology that providers use in each locale, said Rodrigues. This leaves the door open for operators to use the entire menu as long as they reach a city's specified upload and download speeds and meet service level agreements.

"We see some cities exploring and sharing those types of initiatives. I think that can help a lot the broadband penetration, regardless whether it's by fiber or any other technology," he said. "You can cover with fiber a tier one borough, in terms of income, like Manhattan or South Manhattan, but to compensate for having service in those boroughs, you need to cover as well some of the lower income boroughs. The city tried to negotiate with the carriers for coverage in some areas that, economically, the carrier would probably not go as fast. They go to one area with high-income residents and one with lower income residents."

Related posts:

• Gfast Bridges Urban Digital Divide
• Has San Francisco Lost Its Heart for Operators?
• TIM Shrouds Italy in Ultra-Broadband

— Alison Diana, Editor, Broadband World News. Follow us on Twitter or @alisoncdiana.