Cisco announces major IT solutions for smart cities in India

cisco-smart-connected-citiesCisco, a major promoter of smart city technologies in India has announced that 10 cities including Bengaluru and Jaipur are utilising its cloud-based service to connect to traffic, parking and environmental sensors in real time.

The networking giant calls its service the Cisco Smart+Connected Digital Platform. Data collected through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors can help city agencies to operate more efficiently, reduce costs and respond quickly in emergencies.

“We’re creating value in the smart city space with the Internet of Things boom,” Real-time data is important because a two minutes’ faster response to an emergency can save thousands of dollars,” said Munish Khetrapal, managing director of solutions for smart and connected communities.

Cisco announced that eight cities are using the technology in addition to Bengaluru and Jaipur. Other cities are Paris, (France), Copenhagen (Denmark), Kansas City (US), Adelaide (Australia), Bucharest (Romania), Dubrovnik  (Croatia) and Trancing (Slovakia). Cisco is showcasing its technology at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2016 in Barcelona this week.

The company also announced the launch of a pay-as-you-go cloud service for smart cities. The new technology will allow cities to take action more effectively with data collected from sensors, cameras and devices.

Cisco’s latest cloud-based solutions will enable smart cities to fall in line with the firm’s initiative to head the emerging IoT industry.

Using the platform, Cisco said it can securely connect data from all the operations in a city, including water management, traffic, parking, lighting, neighbourhood security and more.

In India, Cisco Jasper has inked a deal with Anil Ambani’s Reliance group to launch a new venture called ‘UNLIMIT’ which will provide IoT services not only to enterprise customers but also smart cities.

“IoT is a critical enabler for India’s growth, and businesses throughout the country are already utilising its huge potential to help deliver innovative new services to their customers, while reducing cost and increasing revenue,” added Juergen Hase, Chief Executive Officer of UNLIMIT, the IoT Business Unit of Reliance Group.

Reliance and Cisco Jasper will offer connected services which will enhance customer experiences while enabling new revenue models.