Lumen joins forces with AustinGIS and Sky Packets to drive smart city initiatives

Lumen has partnered with AustinGIS and Sky Packets to help cities further develop new smart city strategies. 

All three companies bring something to the table. Lumen brings its deep portfolio of last mile and long-haul network connectivity. AustinGIS brings its infrastructure-as-a-service (SIaaS) provider capabilities and Sky Packets, last-mile connectivity solutions.

More cities nationwide are embracing the smart city concept to improve quality of life by bringing next-generation technology to residents. Smart cities need sensors and endpoints in an urban center to manage assets and resources efficiently. But what serves as a foundation for every smart city is a wide-reaching network to carry all that data. 

"Smart cities will bring next-generation advancements to a community, and they need a strong network foundation to support their data-driven future," said Sara Seegers, national vice president of Indirect Partner Channel at Lumen. "Our Lumen partnership draws on an innovative portfolio to deliver increased network security, performance and control.”

Replicating smart city experience

AustinGIS and Sky Packets bring plenty of smart city experience to this new initiative. In Mexico City, AustinGIS and Sky Packets partnered to help reduce crime by employing the AustinGIS smart city edge platform and endpoints with the Sky Packets wireless network.

Henry Quintin, CEO and co-founder of Sky Packets, said that in Mexico, the two companies deployed security cameras with edge computing services, which reduced crime by 40% in six months and increased citizen perception of safety by 70%.

He added that it hopes to replicate the success it saw in Mexico by working with “Lumen to utilize their technology to drive mission critical, AI applications for faster throughput at a feasible price point for any municipality."

Overcoming barriers, inefficiencies

Through this agreement, these companies will bring various benefits to metropolitan residents by leveraging a mix of edge computing, AI technology, fast connections, secure applications, and an outcome-based pricing structure for improving city services and citizen engagement across metropolitan centers. 

While the interest and investment in smart cities is growing, advocates say inefficient technology is causing delays.

The 2021 U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act earmarked billions for connectivity initiatives, including smart cities. According to U.S. Ignite, this funding could support advanced smart city principles and technology. However, smart city deployments are delayed because of inefficient technology, lack of execution expertise, or too much upfront capital investment.

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