As 5G base stations pop up everywhere in Nanjing, they so too come in unusual forms. Smart street lighting is an innovative way of providing a 5G network with universal coverage. Nanjing’s Confucius Temple area was recently one of the first areas to introduce them.
It all began with the physics of 5G. While the story you are reading now is likely coming via a 4G base station several kilometres distant, 5G doesn’t work like that. It operates at frequencies 10 or 100 times higher and its signals are quickly absorbed by foliage and buildings.
So we need a lot of base stations. That’s where smart street lighting comes in.
The smart street lamp is actually a network that provides information about public transportation, parking, healthcare and environmental conditions. It also provides for the ever-present and controversial video surveillance.
It even lights the street at night too. Handy!
Nanjing City Management Bureau outlined preferred solutions for the construction of a “smart city” at a press conference on 25 December. They comprise the building of new street lamps and underground pipe networks, plus the intelligent transformation of existing street lamps. All need integrate emerging technologies such as 5G, big data, IOT (Internet of Things), cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
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Much of the new street lighting in Nanjing’s Confucius Temple Scenic Area is the type that has been completely rebuilt. As well as being 5G base stations, the lamps have large screens that provide a host of information. They are also directly linked with the local police station.
Other areas of Nanjing to have full or partial 5G coverage include Xinjiekou, Jiangdong Lu and the International Youth Culture Centre. Nanjing Metro Line 4 has also achieved full 5G coverage on 22 December, reported Discover Nanjing on Twitter.
There are now 5,000 base stations for 5G deployed in such areas. It is estimated that to realise full coverage on the city’s main roads will take until the end of 2022.
