Wireless Connectivity through streetlights in Germany

Signify is helping the German municipality of Eichenzell become a future-proof smart city through the use of intelligent street lighting. Its BrightSites solution brings fast, wireless broadband connectivity to the municipality, allowing Eichenzell to cater for next generation IoT applications and future 5G densification.

Signify installed LED lighting which is managed by the Interact City system. Eichenzell can continuously monitor and manage all lights from a single dashboard. The system can be also integrated into the municipality’s IT systems and even citizen apps.

The upgraded streetlights are equipped with Philips Outdoor Multisensors, which use movement detection to adjust the light level as required. Information-sharing between the lights allows for them to work in unison, providing, for example, increased brightness in the direction of travel for pedestrians, cyclists or cars. This not only leads to better road safety at night, but also reduces energy consumption, which saves money and cuts CO2 emissions.

The BrightSites solution removes the need to dig and lay fiber connections, while needing only a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods. Through BrightSites, lighting infrastructure becomes a platform for real-time safety, traffic management, pollution monitoring and other smart city services that require high-speed data connectivity. The broadband luminaires help build a platform for wireless broadband connectivity, capable of providing 5G to citizens at significantly lower cost compared to conventional means.