Page 59 - Reference framework for integrated management of an SSC - A U4SSC deliverable on city platforms

5 The Connectivity of a Smart and Sustainable City

Deploying an advanced ubiquitous telecommunications infrastructure to support
the connectivity of thousands of heterogeneous devices deployed in an SSC is a big
technological challenge that entails significant deployment and operation costs. The
constant technological evolution allows the use of different connectivity options but also
the risk of a rapid obsolescence.

The transformation of the municipal communications network and the management of
public space need to be defined based on the possible interactions between people,
people with devices or devices with each other.

• What are the general needs of people and IoT devices in an SSC?
• What are the main connectivity scenarios in an SSC?

• What are the main services that and SSC should offer in terms of connectivity to citizens,
municipal officials, and other actors?

• What would be the simplified model of a municipal corporate network?

5.1 Introduction

One of the biggest technological and operational challenges facing the development of an ICT
ecosystem in a Smart City is to have an advanced ubiquitous telecommunications infrastructure
that allows the connectivity of thousands of users, heterogeneous sensors, and devices with the
quality, security and availability required at a reasonable cost.

In many cases, cities have historically organized their communications based on meeting
operational connectivity needs for officials' access to centralized municipal information systems
and sharing resources such as corporate telephony service or Internet access. This growing demand
for connectivity has been resolved, for example, by increasing the bandwidth available between
buildings or improving the internal communications infrastructure itself. However, this approach
is not enough to meet the new and complex connectivity needs in a Smart and Sustainable City.

Different factors such as technological evolution, the deregulation of the communications market
in many countries, the explosion of digital traffic, new mobility services and the massive irruption
of low-cost connected devices have created a demand for connectivity that requires specific
treatment, but under a global perspective.

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