Cities of the Future: Tech Companies Explore Challenges and Solutions at a CES 2021 Panel
January 18, 2021 – Collaboration and vision are necessary to build smart cities with integrated technology and innovation, industry leaders said at a panel at CES 2021 on Wednesday. As cities grow and become more connected, partnerships between the public and private sectors will become more necessa
January 18, 2021 – Collaboration and vision are necessary to build smart cities with integrated technology and innovation, industry leaders said at a panel at CES 2021 on Wednesday.
As cities grow and become more connected, partnerships between the public and private sectors will become more necessary, said Ashok Tipirneni, director of product management and head of platforms for smart cities at Qualcomm.
Such partnerships require dialogue and vision. Moreover, everyone involved needs to buy into that vision, added Lauren Love-Wright, vice president of network partnerships at Verizon.
Derek Peterson, chief technology officer at Boingo, said that his company developed such partnership with Google, Amazon and other businesses in Kanso Twinbrook, a community development project in Rockville, Maryland.
“One of the things we’re all getting used to is the digitization of all our experiences,” Peterson said. As more people move to urban centers, those cities face new challenges, such as traffic, energy and manufacturing, all of which require more “smart” technological connectivity to solve, he explained.
Solving those types of infrastructure problems will be different in difference cities because their populations and ages are different, said Love-Wright. For example, Verizon implemented a wireless network in Oklahoma City to assist with traffic issues. It worked well because of the town’s size, she added, but other cities may need different approaches.
Qualcomm’s Tipirneni highlighted three key aspects to smart cities: First, citizens want to get everything they need wherever they live; second, cities want to safe and smart services to all residents; and third, businesses and city departments must work together easily.
Just as everyone today uses and relies upon the convenience of a cell phone and new technologies that come from it, consumers want that same innovation in their cities.
Technology is core to the smart city concept, but policy is also a key aspect, said Love-Wright. That means that affordability is as important as accessibility to technology, she explained.
