Seoul to implement city-wide public IoT network by 2023

Seoul’s public Internet of Things (IoT) network will be “in every corner of the city” by 2023, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said this week.

The 421 km long-range (LoRa) network will be established this year, with 1,000 base stations installed at public facilities such as community centres by 2023. SMG is also setting up an operations platform at city hall which will work as the central command centre to oversee data collection and distribution and the real-time management of the network.

Once the network rolls out, IoT services that were provided through existing mobile networks will be offered over the public network, reducing data fees. SMG said the network will enable services such as smart meters, fire detection, and remote monitoring for older residents who live alone to be implemented more widely.

The IoT network is part of Seoul’s larger plan to increase connectivity offerings, including deploying free public Wi-Fi throughout the city.

Data

IoT sensors will collect data related to areas including transportation, safety and the environment to be used for trend analysis and to deliver new services. The data will be transmissible between Seoul’s 25 district offices and will also be made available for start-ups and research institutions to spur innovation.

Lee Weon-Mok, Director General of Seoul’s Smart City Policy Bureau, said: “We are expecting a considerable increase in object-to-object communications as well as people-to-people communications in the future. In this regard, the S-Net will serve as a core infrastructure connecting the whole IoT network in Seoul.”

Test IoT services will be launched in three districts — Eunpyeong, Guro and Seocho — this year, including safety management for dangerous facilities, smart lighting and fine dust monitoring.

Seoul also recently announced plans to use IoT data and blockchain to continuously monitor older buildings to detect potential safety issues automatically.

IoT growth

IDC predicts that by 2025 there will be 55.7 billion connected devices worldwide. Other cities are also taking steps to gear up for this growth. New York City, for example, launched an Internet of Things (IoT) strategy covering issues such as governance, privacy, security, equity, sustainability and public engagement.

Image: Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash