5G Will Create the Hyperconnected Smart City
Mar 11, 2020
Linking smart cities and 5G combines two of the most hyped topics in technology. This hype can lead to overinflated expectations and unrealistic scenarios, but beyond the hype, important changes are happening. Smart cities will be one of the most important testing grounds for 5G technology and business models. 5G in turn will accelerate many of the developments associated with smart cities, but it will also pose practical challenges in areas such as cybersecurity, data privacy, the impact of automation, and issues of digital exclusion.
Cites — and their partners — looking at their connectivity needs over the next decade need to understand the short-term opportunities and longer-term implications of the 5G era and develop strategies appropriate to local priorities and constraints. Smart city development has always prioritized the need for partnership between the complex web of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. 5G brings new requirements and opportunities for the ecosystem of partners. Cities are already engaging closely with carriers and technology providers, but this engagement is only the start of creating new interfaces among city management, public and private sector service providers, local businesses, residents, and other stakeholders.
This Strategy Insight report from Navigant Research, a Guidehouse company, explores the opportunities and challenges facing cities and their partners at the intersection of 5G and smart cities. It examines the evolution of 5G technology and its relevance to cities and communities. It looks at key use cases and examples of early adopters. The report also explores the strategies of global carriers and infrastructure vendors that are leading the development and deployment of 5G networks and solutions.
Table of contents
• 5G Accelerates Smart City Development
• Cities Need a Multidimensional Approach to 5G
• Cities and Their Partners Need to Build New 5G Urban Ecosystems
This article was first published online by Navigant.
