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As Canada becomes increasingly urbanized — in 2017 , 81.35 percent of the total population lived in cities *— our municipalities must take a visionary approach to their planning and development . They need to learn to harness the power of advanced , connected technologies that will help them build smarter cities . This includes embracing the possibilities that the Internet of Things ( IoT ) offers to improve the efficiency of services , the sustainability of industries and the wellbeing of communities .

Charlie Wade , Rogers Senior Vice President , Enterprise Product and Solutions , gives his perspective on how IoT solutions are making smarter cities possible .

IoT solutions connect devices and things that weren ’ t traditionally connected to the Internet , and equip them with sensors and software so they capture data for tracking , monitoring , transacting and real-time decision making . The adoption of IoT solutions powered by wireless networks is creating amazing opportunities for municipalities and the people they serve . It ’ s helping them achieve environmental goals , create opportunities for economic growth and improve services for their citizens .

New Long Term Evolution for Machines ( LTE-M ) networks are a recent innovation that is making it easier and less costly for municipalities and businesses to take advantage of IoT at scale . LTE-M was designed with low-bandwidth IoT and machine-to-machine ( M2M ) solutions in mind . With LTE-M , you can use simple , less expensive IoT devices that use less power , which means device batteries can be much smaller and last for years . LTE-M also provides deeper coverage than regular LTE networks , so that devices can stay connected in hard-to-reach locations like tunnels and basements .

There are many ways cities are capturing the power of IoT today . Public transit tracking solutions allow riders to get real-time updates on vehicle arrival times . Bike and car-sharing apps are connecting people to their nearest available rides . Drivers can also find the nearest available parking spot , pay for it and add time — all on a mobile app . In the public safety realm , cities have implemented video surveillance and gunshot detection solutions that provide the police with critical real-time data . Cities are also automating their streetlights , so they switch on at dusk and off at daylight , and dim at times when there are fewer vehicles on the road .

At Rogers , we believe that cities need to approach IoT strategically and see all the opportunities to connect multiple systems and realize the greatest return on their investment . Smart cities need smart partners to help them solve for their needs . With our 20 years of experience implementing IoT solutions , we empower municipalities with industry-leading partner solutions , proven expertise and the network they need to realize all the benefits of IoT . We ’ re committed to delivering IoT experiences that help organizations make more possible .

* Source : https :// www . statista . com / statistics / 271208 / urbanization-in-canada /

“ With LTE-M , you can use simple , less expensive IoT devices that use less power , which means device batteries can be much smaller and last for years .”

Charlie Wade , Rogers Senior VP , Enterprise Product and Solutions