India has the most ambitious smart city program

By Mohammad Chowdhury

Smart cities are a major initiative in India. Globally, no other country has a more ambitious smart cities program. The opportunity for network equipment providers, network operators, manufacturers of sensors and connected devices, apps developers and systems interators is very significant.

The challenge in India extends to both “brownfield” (making old, established cities smarter) as well as “greenfield” brand new cities. We can expect major deployments around security and surveillance, reduction of transport congestion through combining mobile and GPS, energy efficiency and reduction of electricity theft through smart meters and sensors, and finally in road accident emergencies. We can also expect solutions in health care and education.

After a major road accident, the golden hour is critical to saving lives. India has the world’s poorest record for road fatalities, and automated e-call services to enable ambulances to reach the scene of an accident faster which could save many lives.

Some 25% of energy produced in India is lost to theft, and a significant amount of this could be reduced through sensors to deter and detect theft.

(The author, Mohammad Chowdhury is industry adviser and formerly head of PwC’s telecom practice in India)

Related: Trillion dollar smart cities opportunity