Nokia works to develop targeted IoT-based smart city solutions

Nokia is setting its sights on becoming a major player in the development of Finland’s smart city projects.

The Finnish communications and information technology company is investing heavily in the Internet of Things technologies for the transportation (highways, railways, metros), energy (oil and gas, mining, utilities) and public sectors (defence, public safety, smart government) as well as large enterprises.

According to the Business Standard, the company plans on launching multiple smart city solutions such as smart metering, active waste management, smart parking and various other sensor technology-enabled products.

Osvaldo H Di Campli, president, global enterprise and public sector at Nokia said: "IoT is the next big thing happening globally. We will see a lot of man-to-machine and vice-versa type of technology coming in. For us smart city is a great opportunity as every time the basic infrastructure needs to be built, it is a chance for us to come in.”

Di Campli referenced India’s smart city initiatives, saying that while it had the basic framework in place, the company seeks additional insight into what the business model would be, as well as how smart city projects would be funded.

He added: “These are the key questions few of us are trying to find answers for.”

IoT-based smart city solutions

Nokia reportedly showcased nineteen IoT-based products at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that would fit within in a smart city environment.

Says Sandeep Girotra, vice-president and region head for India: "Any IoT architecture, connectivity management through device management solutions and analytics on top… we are looking at all these spaces in the smart city initiative."

Girotra added: "We are in continuous dialogue with the government in various projects. We continue to engage on all opportunities as and when they emerge.”

Meanwhile, Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company Huawei’s vision for 2016 is to focus on the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G telecom services, and Virtual Reality (VR).

It expects to deploy its IoT ecosystem solution, Lite OS, powered by narrow band networks , in the field of smart metering for electricity, water or agriculture.