How do citywide LoRaWAN networks drive citizens' value?

Jaydine Foley on 11th October, 2024

B Corp

Jason Legget took to the Podcast Stage at The Things Conference to discuss "How Citywide LoRaWAN Networks Drive Citizens’ Value", alongside fellow industry experts: Afzal Mangal, Founder of iotcreators.com by Deutsche Telekom; Catherine Caruana-McManus, Co-Founder of Meshed IoT Solutions and Founder of the IoT Alliance Australia; and Gary Howell, Founder of Morgan Walsh Consultancy, who has over 30 years of practical experience and is currently involved with a number of IoT and LoraWAN projects assisting Welsh councils with smart town planning and rollouts.

Here are our five key takeaways from the panel:

1. Transition from Pilots to Scaling: In our experience, local authorities are eager to adopt new technologies due to the proven value of use cases and best practices they've observed. They recognise the potential for cost savings and improved efficiency however the challenge is that councils are typically risk averse and conservative, driven by their need to protect assets and ensure data security. Many authorities have undertaken proof-of-concept or pilot projects using LoRaWAN, but the key challenge remains scaling these initiatives. Local governments must move beyond experimentation to fully deploy networks citywide, unlocking benefits such as smart environmental monitoring and more efficient public services.

2. Data as the Core Focus: While sensors are essential, the real value lies in the data they collect. The panel emphasised shifting the conversation from focusing on the sensors themselves to the valuable data they provide, complementary to the data they already have. In Connexin's case, we have developed platforms and solutions to extract data from existing legacy systems, enabling local authorities to consolidate and analyse that information. This approach allows them to integrate additional sensor data as we move forward, which will be really fundamental in terms of making changes.

3. Citizen and Economic Benefits: LoRaWAN networks have direct and indirect benefits for citizens. Projects like monitoring flowerbeds, for example, have the direct benefit of giving the gardeners precise information to allow them to water the flowerbeds properly so the flowers bloom well, which leads to better city beautification and attract visitors, boosting local economies. This of course has the indirect benefit of efficient resource management, such as reducing water waste and more efficient time management, which helps cities save money, improving services for residents and allowing additional funds to be redirected.

4. Challenges in Adoption and Awareness: One of the biggest problems we’re facing is that there is still limited awareness among local governments about the full potential of IoT and LoRaWAN solutions. Many councils work in silos, and while there is some sharing of best practices, scaling IoT deployments requires a higher level of coordination and education on a national or regional level. In his experience with local authorities, Gary Howell encourages the production of case studies highlighting specific use cases with cost benefits to be shared within the councils, if not publicly. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the globe, Catherine Caruana-McManus of Meshed IoT Solutions has seen a huge shift in cities in Australia over last eight years moving from proof-of-concept to the use of over 400 types of sensors monitoring real-time data to engage around economic development. This seems to be driven by two things: their customers typically being the heads of operations looking after the wellbeing and safety of the citizens, and the fact that cities now have to report on their environmental measures.

5. Complementary Role of LoRaWAN in a Broader Ecosystem: Jason Legget highlighted that at Connexin our approach to building LoRaWAN infrastructure in the UK is focused on creating long-term, critical infrastructure that supports multiple use cases. We're working closely with water utility companies and securing contracts to help them implement smart metering solutions, which are being driven by UK regulations. Once the network is in place, it can then be used by other organisations, local authorities, and even citizens for various applications. The most important thing to drive this is recognising LPWAN as part of a broader mix of technologies used in smart cities, alongside cellular, satellite, and fibre networks. It's a "fit-for-purpose" technology that is complementary to other communication networks, and each network serves different use cases based on the city's infrastructure needs.

The Things Conference is a two-day event held in Amsterdam that showcases the latest innovations in LPWAN and LoRaWAN technology, along with the diverse use cases they enable. The conference features keynotes, panel discussions, and workshops, attracting over 1,500 attendees from around the globe.

Watch the full panel discussion here.