Deutsche Telekom has launched a new research centre to speed up the roll-out of smart cities in Europe and partnered with Cisco on a new application for municipal authorities offering Wi-Fi.
The new European Smart Solutions Centre (ESC) in Budapest will bring together the operator’s expertise and activities under one roof.
It will provide functions such as marketing, partnering, pre-sales and delivery governance, working closely with local experts. Deutsche Telekom’s team will work to bring a range of solutions to market, including products based on NB-IoT.
The centre will also offer consultancy services to help cities use their funds for urban development.
Ralf Nejedl, Senior Vice President B2B at Deutsche Telekom Europe, said: “Deutsche Telekom’s aim is to be a leading smart city solutions provider in Europe and a trustworthy, reliable and long-term partner for any city’s move to digitisation.
“With the power of IT and Internet of Things we continue to deliver innovative solutions which help make cities future-proof, improve the quality of life for their citizens and enhance economic development.”
The operator also announced it has worked with Cisco on a solution designed to help authorities take advantage of a Europe-wide project to implement Wi-Fi.
The telcos have produced a new customisable app for city authorities that they can adapt to direct citizens and visitors to city services and give them information about events.
City administrations can also receive real-time crowd monitoring information, as well as get access to historic data.
The EU WiFi4EU initiative, worth €120 million, will provide high-speed internet access to between 6,000 and 8,000 local communities by 2020. The telcos claimed the application could also help cities successfully apply for funding, although they did not specify how.
In addition, Deutsche Telekom has launched a web-based interface to allow city authorities to map out and manage their smart city infrastructure. Called Mayor’s Dashboard, it collects data to be used to manage services in the city.