The following topics are dealt with: smart cities; town and country planning; 5G mobile communication; public administration; radio access networks; smart power grids; telecommunication network planning; costing; data protection; waste management.
The Smart Flanders program was initiated by the Flemish Government (Belgium) at the start of 2017. The goal of the program is to support the 13 so-called center cities in the Region (by and large the biggest cities) and a representation of the Flemish Community in the Brussels Region with defining and implementing a common open data policy. As part of the program, a “maturity check” was performed, evaluating the cities on a number of quantitative and qualitative parameters. This exercise included finding a common and workable vision on what it means to be smart, from the perspective of these cities.
Cities are striving to become `smart'. What exactly a smart city signifies is debatable, but the designation most often refers to an intensification of ICT use and data use by local authorities, and seeking closer collaboration with other stakeholders. Whereas the concept of the smart city is not clearly delineated, the same can be said for the requirements for personal data protection under the GDPR. In this paper, we apply a social constructivist approach to the development of personal data protection in smart city initiatives to argue that personal data protection in smart cities is in a stage of `interpretative flexibility', implying that different groups put forward different meanings to these concepts. Based on a quasi-empirical scenario analysis, we assess interpretations, opportunities and challenges related to the most influential actors and factors. To conclude, we formulate a number of specific recommendations for privacy-friendly implementation of smart city initiatives.
Future networks will allow achieving high level of connectivity to respond to novel application needs. In this work we analyzed system performance in terms of extreme indoor connectivity for different IoT enabling technologies for smart grid applications. To this aim we tested and compared in terms of measurements and simulations two IoT solutions available nowadays: Licensed Cellular based solution (i.e. NB-IoT) and proprietary Long Range based solution (i.e. LoRa). Specifically, measurements have been performed by acquiring connectivity levels in extreme propagation conditions, such as buried location in the premises of the Test Facility of RSE (Ricerca di Sistema Elettrico - the main Italian Energy Research Center); simulations have been carried out through a simulation tool with deterministic propagation models based on “Ray Tracing” techniques, taking into account also the attenuation of the terrain and the effect of surrounding buildings. The analysis allows acquiring connectivity information in deep Non Line of Sight environment (i.e.: underneath electric cables monitoring applications). This study will provide useful indications for the IoT solution of the future 5G network: the mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication) paradigm for innovative smart city services.
The adoption of 5G smart light poles can facilitate the massive deployment of communications equipment in the urban environment, accelerating the advent of new smart city services. In this article, we define a cost model for a 5G smart light pole network that includes (1) four pole configurations with different hardware components, (2) a grid-based deployment structure that assigns poles to zones with different demand requirements, and (3) the evolution of key cost items due to prototype improvement, volume sale discounts, and price erosion. The model estimates the total deployment cost (TDC), including capital and operational expenses. We estimate a TDC of 4.84 M€/km 2 for a minimum deployment providing uniform coverage of basic services. We also estimate a TDC of 6.57 M€/km 2 for a massive deployment providing heterogeneous coverage of advanced services. These values can potentially decrease to 3.23 M€/km 2 and 4.05M€/km 2 when cost evolution is considered. Although more than 30 % cost reduction might be possible, this is mainly caused by the improvement of prototype components, given that public works are less sensible to cost evolution. Therefore, we recommend cities to promptly start civil works and to select upgrade-able pole designs.
Making cities smarter is the future. By bringing more technology into existing city infrastructure, smart city applications can arise. Whether these applications track devices e.g. public lightning, environmental measurements e.g. temperature or air quality, or analyze video streams e.g. for people density, it is expected that these will require a (near-) real time data connection. Upcoming 5G networks will be able to handle large amounts of connections at high speeds and low latencies and will therefor outperform current technologies such as 4G and low-power wide-area networks. In order to do so, these 5G networks fall back to numerous fiber connected small cells for up & downlink to the Internet. In this publication, we are looking into the additional fiber equipment and deployment cost to connect the required smart city network infrastructure, taking into account a Fiber-to-the-(FTTH) network is already available or will be installed as part of the smart city network rollout. More concretely, we are proposing a methodology comparing an anticipated and incremental planning approach for a number of different extensions upon the FTTH-network: connecting all electrical cabinets, connecting public lightning, and the connection of 5G using small cells. From this, we want to learn how much the total rollout cost can be reduced using a future-oriented smart city approach taking into account all future extensions, compared to an incremental short-time planning only planning additional fiber when required. In the meantime, we want to show the additional cost of creating a smart city network is limited when it is being combined with a FTTH rollout. Results of the proposed methodology and use case will be modeled planning and design software Comsof Fiber and will be published in a future work.
A techno economic analysis for a C-RAN architecture in a Crowded Events (CE) offering immersive video services (IVS) is presented. The analysis shows that investments for an IVS in CE relying on edge cloud resources are viable with an expected payback period of 6.5 years.
This paper attempts to shed light on future 5G business models. First, it analyses how telecommunications business models may change with the adoption of 5G and network slicing technologies, emphasizing their impact on control and value aspects. Second, it reviews and extends current literature to describe and discuss six business model configurations for a future 5G context, focusing on the role of mobile network operators. For example, we propose a specific arrangement for socially valuable ecosystems such as smart cities. Overall, these models apply to diverse settings and will differ in terms of market concentration, the value propositions of connectivity service providers, and the implications for innovation and competition.
The continuing rise in solar and wind production leads to an increasing demand of flexibility to stabilize the electricity grid. Furthermore, we can assume a gradual but intensive rise in the use of electrical heatpumps for household spatial heating, for different reasons. Therefore, this paper investigates the feasibility and viability of entering the flexibility market by aggregating residential thermal loads. For this research, a dataset of 200 dwellings in the Netherlands, equipped with a heatpump and smart metering infrastructure, is analysed. By means of a grey-box modeling approach, a thermal model and control framework have been set up for every house, in order to identify the load shift potential and the accompanying cost of providing flexibility for the houses. We find that thermal flexibility is asymmetric: downwards flexibility is, apart from much more dependent on outdoor temperature than upwards flexibility, strictly lower than upwards flexibility. The cost for downwards flexibility is strictly negative in terms of the prosumer. Concerning upwards flexibility, the cost is most of the time positive. Moreover, it can be concluded that there is a potentially viable business case for the flexibility aggregator.
Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) enable vehicles to be aware of objects that are not in line of sight, by interacting directly with each other and the surrounding road infrastructure. C-ITS promise to reduce traffic congestion, lessen the environmental impact of transportation, and most importantly, significantly reduce the number of (lethal) traffic accidents. As C-ITS is subject to strong network effects, adoption of C-ITS is a key driver of its (societal) benefits. Therefore, this paper estimates penetration rates of C-ITS equipped cars in the car park of Flanders, Belgium. Based on the preferred policy option with mandatory adoption, as proposed in the recent new Delegated Regulation of the European Commission, full penetration of C-ITS in the Flemish car park is expected later than twenty years after the mandate enters into force. Determination of C-ITS adoption numbers is valuable for a number of stakeholders, such as national and local governments, road authorities, technology providers and network operators. Additionally, penetration numbers allow Member States to ascertain to what extent C-ITS can contribute to the goal of zero traffic mortalities by 2050, as envisioned by the European Commission.
This paper presents a case study on smart service delivery in municipalities. The case concerns smart waste management in the city of Copenhagen. The solution is developed by the private company NordSense in collaboration with the municipality.
Smart city services will be enabled by data-based applications and low-latency, high-capacity city networks. Therefore, cities need a denser mobile network that can support the collection, aggregation, and analysis of sensor data. This article suggests three city strategies to facilitate the deployment of 5G small cells and sensor networks by taking advantage of light poles. To develop these strategies, we analyze value networks for the provision of connectivity and data services in the city context. We identify four value network configurations that can successfully operate the 5G light pole network by providing connectivity services. However, the recovery of investments may take a long time, given the high costs of civil works. To increase the attractiveness of investments, we also identify multiple VNCs that can generate complementary revenues from the exploitation of city data, reducing the payback time. Hence, we propose strategies with high/medium/low city involvement that exploit synergies between connectivity and data services.
The development of smart cities has several privacy implications and it challenges the application and enforcement of data protection law. The SPECTRE project looks at these challenges through the lens of the disciplines of law, communication sciences and economics. The aim is to explore and propose legitimate, participatory and economically-sound solutions for enhancing data protection. SPECTRE will argue for greater responsibilisation in the smart city environment, by increasing participation of different stakeholders through the development of a collaborative, cost-efficient Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) methodology. Furthermore, the potential of using public procurement rules to incorporate this new method for a DPIA to effectively deal with the privacy impacts of smart cities will be explored.
We propose to use the Viterbi's decoding trellis graph approach to find the most effective Radio Access Network (RAN) Evolution Path. By the most effective path we understand the cheapest sequence of sector's extensions which still fulfils the capacity requirements over the years. Cheapest means the lowest calculated Net Present Value of needed cash outflows, discounted with the assumed WACC - Weighted Average Costs of Capital over the assumed period of time. To find all possible paths in the trellis graph we also propose the use of the Deep First Search algorithm - DFS. DFS facilitates the analysis of the Transition Matrix, indicating the costs and possible transitions between particular states in available RAN Evolution Path. Transition Matrix is used to ease the introduction of the new RAN stages. The entire tool-set should help to automate the analysis of an increasing number of RAN extension options.
In the network neutrality debate, content providers fight against side payments imposed by Internet Service Providers, arguing that it could slow down innovation. But at the same time some big providers actually pay those fees while still officially in favor of neutrality. To better understand this strategical behavior, this paper proposes a simple model providing some insight on whether or not paying side payments for an incumbent provider is a way to create barriers to entry for competitors. It also investigates the economic consequences on all actors: incumbent and new entrant content providers, users, and the Internet Service Provider. We then describe how the side payment can be determined as a Nash bargaining solution.
Techno-economic analysis is used to evaluate technological solutions in different business environments via a simulation based approach. Four steps can be observed in techno-economic analysis: scope definition, modeling of costs and revenues, evaluation of the different solutions and refinement of the analysis. During the scoping step, the boundaries of the analysis are determined, the problem is divided into sub problems and a list of input values is collected. The collection of complete and precise inputs is of the greatest importance as faulty data leads to unreliable results (garbage in garbage out). Today, due to the lack of a structured way of sharing input values, inputs need to be collected on a case-by-case basis. Although a valid approach, it remains a time intensive process prone to errors.This paper therefore proposes a modular network equipment database containing a set of generic equipment such as an IP/MPLS router, a DWDM node, a fiber link and a twisted pair cable. Each of these is represented as a modular block model and described by a set of attributes and a set of drivers which are used to chain one network equipment's block model to one or more others. A complex network can as such be modeled as a chain of equipment block models which are determined by a set of drivers. As a consequence, the collection of inputs can be fast tracked, the problem of missing inputs can be partially resolved and cross-case comparison becomes possible. To make things more concrete, we illustrate this approach via the evaluation of a network scenario in which a network service provider expands its network with an extra core location.
This paper discusses the role of a developmental approach to broadband policy. The policy approaches made in Denmark and Sweden are compared, and the scope for public intervention at the broadband market is discussed. The paper includes a case study on public intervention in the rural areas of the Swedish municipality of Almhult.
Optical access networks are evolving in order to increase the bandwidth offered to the end users. However, as the delivered bandwidth grows, the data losses due to failures also rise. Moreover, the importance of uninterrupted network access is also growing, which makes network reliability a crucial problem to address. Furthermore, today's access network telecom arena has become very competitive, which forces network operators to reduce costs in order to gain some benefits. Cost reduction in access networks has been shown to be possible by node consolidation and fixed mobile convergence, due to the use of a single access network with different types of user and longer reach. This paper proposes four different protection schemes for converged access network architecture, where hybrid passive optical network is deployed to provide high bandwidth to the end users. The comparison is done in three different types of areas (i.e., Dense Urban, Urban and Rural) with respect to various aspects including connection availability, power consumption, required components, additional fiber and failure impact factor.
We consider the relationship of Internet service providers (ISP) like network operators and content service providers in the Internet ecosystem. Currently the position of ISPs is challenged by the emergence of powerful content service providers, especially with the spreading of bandwidth demanding video services. One issue here is that the further investment in the network capacity may be hindered by prevailing business models that largely exclude the ISPs from sharing in the major cash flows resulting from content provision.We develop modeling tools for evaluation of business models of ISPs and present results of analysis of two models with the potential for generation of additional cash flows for ISP: paid peering and service differentiation. Firstly, we show that under certain conditions on the cost structure and the level of demand elasticity and uncertainty, it can be profitable for a powerful content provider to resort to paid content peering, thus transferring to the ISP a part of his content provision revenue. The resulting business model may provide substantial benefits to all major participants in this ecosystem: network providers, content and service providers and end users. After this, we consider the situation when ISP differentiates the service offer by engaging in content provision, thus entering in direct competition with content providers.
The paper presents a detailed techno-economic model for LTE networks with inherent coupling of CAPEX and OPEX cost for each real or virtualized network element. The life-cycle phases of a network from the idea to set up a certain product or service, followed by the installation and operation of the network up to the decommissioning of the equipment are taken into account. The work was performed within the EU Celtic Plus project SIGMONA [1] and makes use of survey results about reasonable network scenarios and deployment variances, which was carried out among the partners. The resulting set of assumptions is the base of the techno-economic model presented here. The structure of the model is documented and certain modelling techniques are described. Many scenarios are considered in the model, which address the split options to compose the network out of real or virtualized network (function) elements, consider the components being owned or rented as well as to deploy optimization means like the 6WINDGate technology [2] to foster packet forwarding efficiency. The software "Strategic Telecoms Evaluation Model (STEM)" [3] was used for the model development and result analysis.
