Smart poles could support 5G, Wi-Fi, street lighting and other applications
Japanese company Sumitomo Corporation has inked an agreement with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for the preliminary installation and verification of smart poles being carried out by the government.
Together with NEC Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation intends to install two types of smart poles in the Nishi-shinjuku area of Tokyo by the end of this month.
In its “TOKYO Data Highway Basic Strategy” formulated in August 2019, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government calls for constructing an ultra-high-speed mobile Internet network in Tokyo. As part of that effort, the government is looking to install smart poles in the Nishi-shinjuku area, a priority improvement zone. Smart poles are multi-functional poles equipped with communication base stations, Wi-Fi, street lighting and signage, and they are expected to serve as infrastructure useful for the provision of new community services.
NEC and Sumitomo Corporation said aim to verify the utility of these smart poles under both ordinary and emergency circumstances.
More specifically, the two companies plan to install two models of NEC’s “Smart Street Lighting” equipped with functions such as digital signage and pedestrian traffic flow analysis cameras one model will be outfitted with a 5G shared antenna system for joint use by multiple telecommunications carriers, while the other, a site-sharing model, will be equipped with 5G base stations for multiple telecommunications carriers.
With the aim of bringing 5G shared antenna systems into full-scale use by March 2021, efforts will be made to extend these systems across the entire city and to help develop services for Tokyo residents and visitors through the construction of efficient infrastructure by accumulating knowledge on the installation and operation of smart poles, the companies said.
Sumitomo Corporation is engaged in a variety of information and telecommunications projects, being involved with the cable television business in Japan and investing in telecommunications and telecommunication tower businesses overseas. In the 5G sector, it has taken part in 5G base station sharing verification projects alongside Tokyu Corporation, Osaka Metro Co., and Tokyo’s Minato Ward. In addition to advancing the “TOKYO Data Highway Basic Strategy” through this latest agreement, Sumitomo Corporation will also be collaborating with companies, local governments and others to create 5G-related businesses.
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