Business Chief USA February 2019

Advertorial
Making smarter
cities possible
with the Internet
of Things
As Canada becomes increasingly urbanized—in 2017,
81.35 percent of the total population lived in cities*—
our municipalities must take a visionary approach
to their planning and development. They need to
learn to harness the power of advanced, connected
technologies that will help them build smarter cities.
This includes embracing the possibilities that the
Internet of Things (IoT) offers to improve the efficiency
of services, the sustainability of industries and the
wellbeing of communities.
Charlie Wade, Rogers Senior Vice President, Enterprise
Product and Solutions, gives his perspective on how
IoT solutions are making smarter cities possible.
Q: IoT is a hot topic currently. How are IoT solutions helping to build better cities?
IoT solutions connect devices and things that weren’t traditionally connected to the Internet, and equip
them with sensors and software so they capture data for tracking, monitoring, transacting and real-time
decision making. The adoption of IoT solutions powered by wireless networks is creating amazing
opportunities for municipalities and the people they serve. It’s helping them achieve environmental
goals, create opportunities for economic growth and improve services for their citizens.
Q: How are wireless networks evolving to support the wider adoption of IoT solutions?
New Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) networks are a recent innovation that is making it easier
and less costly for municipalities and businesses to take advantage of IoT at scale. LTE-M was designed
with low-bandwidth IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions in mind. With LTE-M, you can use
simple, less expensive IoT devices that use less power, which means device batteries can be much
smaller and last for years. LTE-M also provides deeper coverage than regular LTE networks, so that
devices can stay connected in hard-to-reach locations like tunnels and basements.
Q: What IoT solutions are municipalities implementing with success?
There are many ways cities are capturing the power of IoT today. Public transit tracking solutions allow
riders to get real-time updates on vehicle arrival times. Bike and car-sharing apps are connecting people
to their nearest available rides. Drivers can also find the nearest available parking spot, pay for it and
add time—all on a mobile app. In the public safety realm, cities
have implemented video surveillance and gunshot detection
solutions that provide the police with critical real-time data.
Cities are also automating their streetlights, so they switch on at
dusk and off at daylight, and dim at times when there are fewer
vehicles on the road.
Q: What sets Rogers apart in its approach to IoT?
At Rogers, we believe that cities need to approach IoT strategically
and see all the opportunities to connect multiple systems
and realize the greatest return on their investment. Smart cities need smart partners to help them
solve for their needs. With our 20 years of experience implementing IoT solutions, we empower
municipalities with industry-leading partner solutions, proven expertise and the network they need to
realize all the benefits of IoT. We’re committed to delivering IoT experiences that help organizations
make more possible.
*Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/271208/urbanization-in-canada/
“With LTE-M, you can use
simple, less expensive
IoT devices that use less
power, which means device
batteries can be much
smaller and last for years.”
Charlie Wade, Rogers Senior VP,
Enterprise Product and Solutions