San Jose, Calif. has begun installing 50 SmartPoles that integrate LTE wireless with LED street lighting.The poles will also have custom energy meters on top to monitor the electricity used by LTE wireless transmitters.The pilot SmartPole program is part of a broader smart city focus envisioned by San Jose that takes advantage of Internet of Things technologies. In June, Intel paired up with the city on a separate project to install a network of sensors to collect data on air pollution, noise, traffic flow and water quality to improve the local environment and livability.
The SmartPole technology relies on energy-efficient LED lighting from Philips and LTE technology from Ericsson. The lighting can be wirelessly controlled to modify lighting levels, but there will also be a fiber optic backbone for connecting smart elements to a broader network.
