Ericsson and Philips have teamed-up to launch new connected LED street light that includes a mobile base station within the design. The two companies said that the product combines the benefits of mobile connectivity and LED lighting in a ”lighting-as-a-service” model for cities. This in turn allows city authorities to offer space within their connected lighting poles to network service providers for mobile broadband infrastructure.
According to Ericsson, the new product will accelerate the payback time for city infrastructure by making the up-front costs of installing and managing these systems more affordable.
Philips LED street lighting on its end promises to deliver energy savings of 50 to 70 percent, with savings reaching 80 percent when coupled with smart controls.
“This new connected LED street lighting model is another example of us bringing the Internet of Things to life and demonstrates the capabilities of light beyond illumination,” said Frans van Houten, Philips President and CEO. “We are offering lighting as a service that scales with a city’s needs and enables city officials to offer their citizens a more connected, energy efficient and safer urban environment, while preserving existing budgets and resources to improve the livability of their city.”