Cellcom launches smart-city operations
Cellcom Israel Ltd. is commencing smart-city business. On Tuesday, the company held a press conference to launch its system.
Cellcom is already conducting trials in Safed, Kfar Saba and Nahariya. It is cooperating in the project with AGT, which has developed an advanced management system in which the data arriving at the control center from the field are monitored.
“We are making Cellcom into a communications group,” Cellcom chairman Ami Erel said at the press conference. “Thirty percent of Cellcom’s revenue currently comes from non-cellular sources. We realized that the Internet of Things [IoT, in which many devices are connected to a network and provide data that is analyzed for the sake of efficiency] is not just a slogan. We have decided to begin this and to undertake at least two projects in this area by the end of 2017. I am glad that it has again been shown that we are on the way to being a communications group.”
Cellcom CEO Nir Sztern said: “Israel has 15 million devices connected to a network, and the number will grow many times over in the coming years. We are going to encounter this in every area of life. A system capable of producing a smart sensor for agriculture can save a lot of water. There is a potential breakthrough in costs in electricity and industry. The revolution will be in costs and will bring new opportunities. Anyone who does not switch to this will be in trouble. We regard ourselves as a player in all of these theaters, and we are beginning with the smart city.
“We are talking about substantial saving in municipal spending. This is the main incentive for the switch. Decision-making processes will be greatly shortened. All of the information about what is happening in the city can be shared with residents. We want to provide a complete solution for municipalities. We are a company that is able to provide service, but we are primarily a cellular company, and this, plus our fiber-optic network, makes it possible to provide an end-to-end solution,” Sztern said.
Cellcom demonstrated various services it will provide, such as detection of traffic jams by parked cars, detection of suspicious objects, smart lighting, detection of suspicious gatherings and managing of municipal garbage collection.