With more than 55% of the world’s population currently living in urban areas – a figure that is expected to rise to 68% by 20501 –city planners are turning to technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) to create more efficient and sustainable urban environments.
Picture the scene. You are driving home during rush hour in a connected car. After an accident on your usual route, your car's smart technology reroutes to get you home with minimal delay. At home, the parking assistant guides you into a tight space, while your smart home has already adjusted the lighting and temperature to your preferences and has queued your favorite playlist from the moment you walk in the door.
These are just some of the possibilities already available in a smart city – a concept popularized by urban strategist Boyd Cohen in 2012. Smart cities are broadly defined as urban areas that leverage technology and billions of connected sensors and devices to improve the quality of life of residents, while enhancing sustainability, governance, and resource management.
But building interconnected smart cities such as Singapore, London and Zurich isn’t without its challenges. Ensuring reliable connectivity is a must to enable millions of devices to communicate with each other, while ensuring cybersecurity and privacy is also imperative.
As an industry leader at the forefront of IoT connectivity, G+D knows that the solution to a big challenge lies in a tiny piece of technology. Specifically, eSIM and iSIM, which enable widespread cellular connectivity to power efficient and secure smart city ecosystems.
Watch the video below to learn more about how cellular connectivity powers smart cities.