Telefónica has designed a comprehensive smart city management solution in Valencia and is expected to convert the city into a fully connected environment.
The Spanish incumbent was selected by the council in preference to a number of propositions from other operators.
“Telefónica has the firm intention of making the city of Valencia a global benchmark in smart cities,” said Javier Castro, GM of Valencia, Murcia and the Balearic Islands for the company.
“Telefónica has developed the best solution on the market, one capable of guaranteeing resource sustainability, more accurate incident reporting in real-time and more robust solutions to problems,” he added.
The smart city solution will see Valencia connected through 350 sensors; allowing for the management of public resources through a single connectivity platform.
The platform is designed to monitor everything happening in the city, and set out strategies to increase efficiency, improve quality of life for the people and reduce public spending.
“City managers will know what is happening in the city in real-time and can cancel automatic irrigation on rainy days, open traffic lights to let an ambulance through, switch on street lights on a cloudy day to improve visibility and notify citizens where there are free parking spaces, along with many other possibilities,” Castro explained.
Telefónica’s solution adheres to the specifications of the European FI-WARE standard and the company expects it to transform Valencia into a technological capital.
Other operators worldwide are also starting to embark on smart city implementation, including PCCW, which signed a deal for a smart city in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month.
