Ellie Gabel discusses why smart city growth demands robust wireless communications that are fast, secure, and resilient to support rising urban connectivity.
Urban environments are becoming increasingly interconnected. The growing number of consumer devices aside, public Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure is rising as smart city initiatives accelerate.
These trends are largely beneficial, but they raise some questions about the future of wireless communications, too.
As urban areas rely more on wireless connectivity, uptime and latency become bigger concerns. Lag and dropped connections may be inconvenient today, but they could cause safety issues in a smart city.
Cybercrime also presents a threat as more infrastructure and sensitive data move to wirelessly accessible endpoints.
Thankfully, technological advancements are steadily producing answers to these mounting concerns.
Maximising bandwidth
The most obvious challenge in sustaining a hyper-connected urban environment is ensuring everyone gets a reliable, fast connection. This is also the area with the most mature solutions – namely, 5G and edge computing.
5G cellular networks have already achieved real-world speeds of 500 megabits per second (Mbps), and most consumer mobile applications require no more than 20 Mbps.
Their reliance on shorter-range but denser signals also supports more devices per area, paving the way for broader IoT adoption.
Network slicing takes 5G’s benefits even further. This feature allows administrators to divide 5G connections into multiple subnetworks to serve varying end uses.
Splitting traffic according to different needs ensures every device gets the speed, latency or security it needs without overcrowding or overcomplicating a single virtual network.
Edge computing distributes computing tasks between local devices and has similar benefits. Because processing occurs closer to endpoints in an edge environment than in a conventional cloud setup, devices can function more quickly.
This results in latencies as low as 10 milliseconds and enough computing power for advanced applications like self-driving vehicles.
Preventing RFI
Radio frequency interference (RFI) presents another challenge when so many devices are emitting signals in one area.
While all electronics emit some electromagnetic noise, higher concentrations may push it beyond what today’s circuits are built to withstand. Too much RFI could interrupt signals, posing security and safety risks.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can help. Some military-grade network technologies use it to analyse a spectrum in real time, letting them detect interference as it arises.
Upon detection, the model adjusts the network and deploys anti-jamming techniques to prevent disruption to normal signals.
This technology has roots in electronic warfare, but it can serve a more mundane purpose, too. By finding and fighting RFI in real time, these solutions ensure crowded smart city networks maintain signal integrity despite rising electromagnetic noise.
Ensuring cyber resilience
Cybersecurity is a similar concern. More connected devices in one area mean a wider attack surface, making urban environments a bigger target for cybercriminals.
Such activity threatens more than just consumer data, too – cyberattacks against critical infrastructure surged by 30% between 2022 and 2023 and continue to rise.
Without proper protections, larger urban networks’ risks may outweigh their benefits. Consequently, improved cybersecurity measures in wireless networks and public IoT infrastructure are crucial. 5G and edge computing can help in this area, too.
Higher bandwidth and lower latencies make networks less vulnerable to disruption, helping stave off denial-of-service attacks and leaving less room for data interception.
Network slicing can also separate high-sensitivity traffic from the rest to give it unique protections, and edge computing distributes data between endpoints to limit the impact of a single breach.
Administrators can also capitalise on AI-driven security improvements. Automated monitoring can detect and contain suspicious activity before it causes major damage.
Organisations save an average of $2.2 million in data breach costs from such technology, highlighting its potential for smart cities.
Public authorities can also host IoT devices on separate networks from other endpoints to minimise lateral movement, further reducing a breach’s impact.
As urban connectivity grows, networks must evolve
Rising connectivity can make cities safer, more efficient and more convenient than ever before.
However, that’s only true if the underlying network infrastructure can address its most prominent concerns.
Ensuring proper bandwidth, signal integrity, and cybersecurity is key to an effective smart city rollout.
When wireless communications providers and urban authorities tackle these areas, they pave the way for a more interconnected future.
