In April of this year, the mobile operator and public representatives from the City of San Jose publicly disclosed that it had agreed on a strategic collaboration for the deployment of small cells. However, it has now been unveiled that AT&T will now deploy an extensive network of small cells to enhance existing voice and data capacity.
ICT analysts have projected that this development will lay the foundation for mobile 5G services, which the US operator expects to begin introducing in the city in the first half of 2019. In addition to this, it has been reported that AT&T and San Jose plan to engage in a pilot to trial a multitude of AT&T smart cities solutions, which they say could include LED smart lighting public Wi-Fi, AT&T digital infrastructure and structure monitoring.
Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo expressed his delight at the collaboration and said the partnership would help accelerate the city's efforts towards becoming a world-leading ‘smart city'.
The Mayor said, "Upgrading San Jose's broadband infrastructure are key to building a smarter city, advancing our long term economic competitiveness, and connecting residents who lack access to affordable, high-quality internet service. We're excited that San Jose residents will soon be able to take advantage of AT&T's enhanced network and look forward to continuing our partnership with AT&T to lay the foundation for next generation connectivity."
Michael Zeto, VP of AT&T IoT and General Manager of Smart Cities, added: "Cities are often tasked with finding solutions to issues like traffic jams, energy consumption, public safety, and many others. San Jose and AT&T are exploring how a smart cities environment will put residents first by solving challenges that are most important to them.