AT&T joins hands with Cisco, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Intel on smart cities framework

NEW DELHI: US-based Telecommunications giant AT&T has formed alliance with Cisco, Ericsson , Qualcomm , Intel, IBM, Deloitte and GE to develop a new framework for smart cities.

The alliance will use three U.S. cities--Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Chicago and Dallas—as the first test bed cities for the platform.

“Atlanta is a great city and, thanks to our collaboration with AT&T, it will soon be a smarter city,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

“Improving sustainability and increasing public safety are already top priorities for the City of Atlanta. With the integration of AT&T’s Smart City solutions, we will be better positioned to support these initiatives while also enriching the lives of our residents," said Atlanta Mayor.

"Atlanta has long demonstrated how private-public relationships enabled the city to serve as an innovator in many areas of technology and society," said Steve Cross, executive vice president for research at Georgia Tech.

"Georgia Tech is excited to bring its research competencies to work with the city, AT&T as well as other companies, NGOs, and education organizations to set the standard for building a smart cities framework," said Cross.

“From water system sensors to advanced analytics and energy efficiency efforts, Chicago has already taken steps to become a Smart City,” said Brenna Berman, CIO of the City of Chicago.

“We are excited to team with AT&T, a leader in Internet of Things solutions, to help us harness the power of near real-time information to create a safer, cleaner and more efficient city," said Berman.

"The Dallas Innovation Alliance is thrilled to work with AT&T on its smart city initiatives for the city of Dallas" said Trey Bowles, cofounder of the Dallas Innovation Alliance.

"The DIA was established to gather the expertise and perspectives of public, private and academic institutions. By working closely with the mayor, city manager, CIO, key non-profit and industry leaders, we look forward to building a holistic approach to smart cities beginning in the West End Historic District in Downtown Dallas," said Bowles.

“We’ve built strong relationships with cities across the U.S. for over 100 years,” said Mike Zeto, general manager of Smart Cities, AT&T IoT Solutions.

“We’re continuing to be a leader in smart cities innovation. Our holistic strategy can help cities save money, conserve energy, improve quality of life, and further engage with their citizens," said Zeto.

Telecommunications giant is also developing a new digital dashboard that gives cities a high-level look at their communities’ conditions. The Smart City Network Operation Center (SC-NOC) offers cities a dashboard view of how assets are performing in near-real time. City officials can keep tabs on power outages, water leaks, traffic issues, and more – all from one location.