Joanne Green, Head of Public Sector at Neos Networks, outlines how local authorities can harness smart technologies and digital tools to drive infrastructural, social and economic improvements across their local areas
Local authorities are in the driver’s seat when it comes to regional economic and social development. Over the years, several governments have adopted the phrase ‘levelling up’, a message that has now become part of a UK government initiative as it pushes to drive opportunities and growth across the nation, including in often overlooked regions. This has led to the establishment of frameworks for how local authorities can go about regenerating the towns and cities they serve. With technology and digital infrastructure set to play a central role, it is up to local authorities to embrace these initiatives to secure their digital futures and better serve their citizens.
One of the core pillars of the levelling up agenda involves enabling the right infrastructure to be built where it is needed. Crucially, this must focus on network connectivity improvements to help most of the UK’s towns and cities get on a level footing with the UK’s biggest, most densely populated urban areas.
According to The World Bank, the urban population will more than double in size by 2050, at which point nearly seven out of ten people will live in cities across the globe. With urbanisation happening at a rapid rate and the population growing, it is imperative that local authorities introduce changes at a foundational level to ensure the infrastructure of our towns and cities can withstand this trajectory. With these challenges on the horizon, and regional development a central priority for the government, local authorities are increasingly looking to enhance the lives of their citizens through smart technology.
The blueprint for smart communities
At the very core of these projects is data. Smart cities rely on insights collected through smart technologies, such as sensors, to inform infrastructural improvements.
By deploying smart technologies, local authorities can gather information on traffic rates, carbon emissions, footfall, public transport movement, weather trends and more. Besides improving our cities, energy efficiency is at the top of the agenda. Today, local authorities want technologies that support their decarbonisation and energy-saving goals. From monitoring traffic flow to installing motion-detection sensors, smart technology can pave the way to a greener future for generations to come.
From an economic perspective, carrying out these development plans may also bring greater prosperity to the region. From planning to construction and management, incorporating infrastructural changes requires knowledge, experience, skill and expertise, creating job opportunities across various areas. Public services that operate efficiently and infrastructure with transformative, sustainable benefits can also be valuable in attracting more people and investment from businesses into a region, thus boosting the local economy. By embracing digital transformation through improvements to digital infrastructure, local authorities can deliver on their promise for smart cities and smart counties.
Foundations for future growth
Underpinning these technologies, however, is the availability of reliable, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity. Moreover, as the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices produce multiple streams of data every second and transmit these outputs between hundreds of other connected devices in real time, resilient connectivity is critical as a foundation. When planning their region’s digital futures, local authorities must therefore ensure that the connectivity in place can support such data-intensive tasks.
Alongside the technology requirements, the disruption from network congestion, connectivity not-spots, and legacy infrastructure must also be addressed. As cities experience periods with higher footfall, unexpected weather changes and regeneration, the connectivity infrastructure must meet these demands well into the future. While implementing a smart city project can bring many benefits, smart cities will not stay smart for long without the appropriate future-proof infrastructure, skills and resources.
Rebuilding local pride
The importance of resilient connectivity is a stance that the UK Government shares, having set a target for achieving the nationwide availability of gigabit broadband by 2030. Fibre builds are accelerating across the UK; some would say we are in the middle of a fibre gold rush. Deployments will be instrumental in connecting rural areas to instil local pride and create opportunities outside of the UK’s capital.
On a regional level, local authorities must partner with suppliers with the expertise and resources to deploy and manage new connectivity solutions while educating them on the potential for fibre to act as a springboard to support the local community. As every region has its requirements, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to connectivity. Therefore, partnering with a supplier that understands local needs and can provide tailored solutions to address that region’s digital goals is imperative.
While the public sector has typically lagged behind the private sector in technology adoption, the benefits of embracing a digitally enabled future are increasingly being recognised nationwide. With improvements to local infrastructure, operational efficiency, digital transformation and training the future workforce all priorities to local authorities, digital infrastructure will be a fundamental competitive requirement to improve social and digital inclusion across the UK.
