Ericsson envisions a Networked Society in which connectivity is the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socializing. Given that more than half of the world’s population already lives in cities – and nearly 70 percent of people will be urbanized by 2050 – Ericsson is particularly focused on contributing to smart and sustainable cities.
As a founding member of the New Cities Foundation, Ericsson will participate in the New Cities Summit in Jakarta on June 9 to 11 to talk about the contributions that information communications technologies (ICT) can make to sustainable cities.
Since 2011, Ericsson has published the Networked Society City Index to analyze the correlation between ICT maturity and triple-bottom-line outcomes in major cities across the world. Ericsson believes that ICT can enable sustainable economic, environmental and social development in cities.
Specifically, ICT can be used to create jobs and drive gross domestic product growth, optimize energy consumption and provide e-services. In addition, ICT can be used to increase awareness of our impact on the environment and to provide access to health care and education.
Citizens are also driving the demand for smarter and more sustainable urbanization. Ericsson ConsumerLab’s Smart Citizens report highlights that citizens are placing expectations on city authorities, utilities and transport providers, as well as creating opportunities for innovation.
Orvar Hurtig, Head of Industry & Society at Ericsson, says: “At Ericsson we use our ICT expertise to provide innovative solutions and services across a variety of industries that play a key role in the development of smart, sustainable cities. At the New Cities Summit in Jakarta, we will share our experience and exchange views with leading decision-makers, thinkers and innovators about how cities can make the most of the opportunities offered by technology.”
As a world leader in the development and implementation of ICT solutions and services, Ericsson is involved in numerous initiatives that are helping to shape a better urban future. Examples include:
•emergency response communications for cities in countries such as Brazil, Russia, Spain and Sweden
•smart grids for customers such as Ausgrid in Australia
•smart metering for customers such as Skagerak Nett in Norway, Landis+Gyr in Finland and the Middle East, E.ON in Sweden, Elektrilevi in Estonia, Hydro-Québec in North America, as well as Italgas and Acea in Italy
•leading provider of LTE/4G in the world’s 100 largest cities
•using mobile connectivity to improve fleet management and introduce smart ticketing for the URBS public transport authority in Curitiba, Brazil
•developing, implementing, supporting and maintaining Volvo’s ITS4Mobility traffic management and passenger information system on behalf of Volvo Bus Latin America
•Connected Traffic Cloud – a managed cloud concept that enables the sharing of real-time traffic and road condition data between connected vehicles and road traffic authorities
•Converge – connecting motor vehicles to cellular networks so that they can communicate time-critical information on traffic conditions to each other
•ELVIIS - Electric Vehicle Intelligent InfraStructure; prototyping a user-friendly recharging system for electric vehicles
•CoCar/CoCarX – using cellular networks to facilitate car-to-car communication and prevent collisions
•Stockholm Royal Seaport – an urban development project that will create 12,000 homes and 35,000 jobs in Stockholm, Sweden
•SymbioCity – a Swedish government initiative that identifies synergies between key urban systems such as energy, IT, water and waste
At the New Cities Summit in Jakarta, Ericsson will be represented by Patrik Regårdh, Head of Strategic Marketing at Ericsson, and Stephanie Huf, Head of Marketing and Communications at Ericsson’s Industry & Society business line.
