Smart means collaboration

Issue 9 2020 Integrated Solutions

This year, World Cities Day (31 October) was about ‘valuing our communities and cities’ and many can agree that the message comes at a critical time. Cities form an important part of the global economy and serve as the engines of development for most nations. As economies rebuild, focusing on city sustainability will be crucial.

In fact, by 2050, it is estimated that 68% of the world’s population of 9,8 billion will live in urban areas. In this article, industry leaders from various key sectors give a view of how the disruption faced this year may make for even better cities.

Building foundation: connectivity

“The world has seen rapid development recently, led by digitisation, which has made our cities smarter and more attractive to global and local investors,” says Riaan Graham, director: enterprise for CommScope, sub-Saharan Africa. “Technology has played a fundamental role in seeing us through the pandemic in a time where the buzz of our cities significantly slowed, authorities needed to communicate more directly with society and businesses needed to rapidly change their operating models.

“While accelerated by the pandemic, it is indicative that urban areas need to leverage innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions that harness data, energy, space, budgets and time efficiently for the benefit of individuals and businesses now and into the future. This is the essence of a smart city, which is built on the foundation of pervasive, high-performance and reliable connectivity.”

While reliable connectivity will continue to play a significant role in various aspects of the development and function of our cities, especially for developing nations, technology has undoubtedly made it easier to manoeuvre the paradigm shift this year where lockdown has changed the urban environment as we know it. The rising norm of the work-from-home (WFH) culture is leaving corporate spaces empty or with the need to cut down on space.

During stricter levels of lockdown, these spaces and most parts of our cities were left abandoned and vulnerable. “This has called for the security segment to re-examine safety, which forms a crucial pillar to our cities and communities,” says Duran Vieira, CEO at Amecor.

Peace of mind through safety and efficiency

“Security governance for both public and private sector needs to adapt with society’s changes. For instance, city monitoring today is about much more than keeping criminals at bay, but also for governance such as ensuring social distancing protocols are observed. Unemployment is a leading cause of crime, and with 2,2 million people having lost their jobs this year, a portion of that population is anticipated to come to cities in search of opportunities where desperation is likely to also lead a fraction of them into crime,” continues Vieira.

One of the most crime-affected industries is transport, where South Africa is plagued by cargo truck hijackings. Cross-border truck congestion and slower freight clearance have also created secondary disruptions that leave cargo even more susceptible to theft and general violence, creating losses that our financially strapped cities cannot afford.

Vieira indicates that during lockdown, we also saw increased crimes on warehouses and parked freight vehicles. “This means that through technology, remote oversight is ever more important for businesses that are recovering from financial losses and simply cannot afford to lose their assets.”

Crime can hinder our progress into desirable cities as this will not only impact tourism, but also economic recovery strategies through business loss. As such, effort and efficiencies around this are critical.

Sustainability remains fundamental

In addition to efficiency, sustainability needs to always be part of the bigger smart city strategy and should be applied across sectors.


Jason McNeil, CEO, Interwaste.

Says Jason McNeil, CEO at Interwaste: “While there is a lot to still be confirmed about the future of our cities, what is certain is that taking care of our environment needs to be a far larger priority in city strategies. More people simply means more waste.

“Many of the world’s developed and emerging nations alike are finding that their landfills are already over-capacitated, and therefore, to continue to maintain healthy air and mitigate ground contamination by increasing quality levels, they are having to look at implementing drastic changes wherever possible to divert waste from landfill.

“It has now become essential for the industry to embrace rapid growth, innovation, and sustainable solutions, finding answers that not only address clean cities for public health and environment, but building sustainable cities. This means exploring recycling streams and other avenues of revenue generation from waste, through the circular economy model, legislation promulgations that need to be adhered to by the industry as well as new technologies for waste treatment and recovery.”

With the economy currently under immense pressure and the unemployment rate on a rapid increase, it is becoming essential to develop and invest in alternative waste solutions to create job opportunities in the country while building a cleaner and more sustainable environment. On the other side of the spectrum, it is important to ensure our cities are inclusive and attend to long-standing challenges in our society.

Growing together

E-commerce is also a key function for socio-economic development, not just in terms of the broader smart city concept, but for the economic recovery journey where entrepreneurship is key to propel job creation. Yaron Assabi, founder and CEO of Digital Mall and Digital Solutions Group (DSG), explains that one of the most important lessons learnt during lockdown is the power of technology in e-commerce.


Yaron Assabi.

“In the South African environment, where tech skills are lacking, small businesses should be guided through the e-commerce journey and be provided with digital platforms to create for a more competitive and inclusive e-commerce landscape. The future of the smart city looks at a far more digitally operating environment.

“Today’s smart city is an enabling platform that looks at not only developing and enhancing our way of life, but also bridging the gap between our high- and low-income communities by allowing shared access to resources, building a more secure environment and driving sustainability to provide a better quality of life for all. Smart city projects aren’t just technically complex; there are multiple stakeholders – each with their own needs and agendas – and as such, we need to be smart in how we tackle the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities that a smart city encapsulates,” concludes Graham.


Wireless cities

The importance of communication technologies in cities can never be overstated. South Africa has seen the rapid rollout of fibre over the past few years that has change the communications landscape. The installation of cellular technologies also had an impact, although the high costs rendered much of its potential void. Now the much over-hyped 5G technology also brings more opportunities, but we have to see the scope of the eventual rollout and the costs involved.


Riaan Graham.

There is no doubt that 5G will have an impact, however the role of good old Wi-Fi should not be underestimated. Of course, ‘old’ is both a correct description and an incorrect one as Wi-Fi 6 promises much more in terms of wireless communication than ever.

Wi-Fi will be a key technology when it comes to last-mile solutions in cities, according to Riaan Graham, director: enterprise for CommScope, sub-Saharan Africa. He says Wi-Fi 6 (we refer to it simply as Wi-Fi going forward) is more than capable of transmitting, for example, multiple high-definition video streams from edge locations to connect to the primary fibre backbone.

Installing fibre is the ideal solution for most areas, but there are times when it is not cost effective or reasonable to install fibre – such as the last mile to the network’s end points. In a world of increasing Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices, Wi-Fi is critical.

Graham adds that the past few years have seen significant development in the Wi-Fi space that ensures some of the older complaints against using the technology in important settings, such as reliability and protection against interference, etc., have been resolved. As for security, Graham says the insecurity of wireless communications is a common misconception about wireless, as Wi-Fi is as secure as one cares to make it.

Graham says that while fibre and 5G get all the attention these days, cities (and organisations) looking to improve communications should not neglect the cost and performance benefits that Wi-Fi solutions can deliver today.




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Human-centric control rooms
Iritron Integrated Solutions Surveillance Residential Estate (Industry)
Iritron and Oculus show that when it comes to control rooms, people, not just technology, are at the centre of the most significant performance differentiators today, not just how efficiently the technology works.

Read more...
Cape Town estates gain access to advanced security technology at Securex
Securex South Africa News & Events Integrated Solutions
For the first time, estate and complex security decision-makers in the Western Cape will have direct access to the breadth of solutions and expertise these shows are synonymous with.

Read more...
Smarter security for safer estate living
neaMetrics Suprema Integrated Solutions Surveillance Access Control & Identity Management Residential Estate (Industry)
The expansion of residential estates has led to many communities being constructed with security as an afterthought. Unfortunately, fencing, cameras, and a guard at the gate only create a false sense of safety, which vanishes after the first incident.

Read more...
Making drone security more accessible
Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions Residential Estate (Industry) AI & Data Analytics IoT & Automation
Michael Lever discusses advances in drone technology, focusing on cost reductions and the implementation of automated services, including beyond line of sight capabilities, for residential estates with SMART Security Solutions.

Read more...
View from the trenches
Technews Publishing SMART Security Solutions Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions Security Services & Risk Management Residential Estate (Industry)
There are many great options available to estates for effectively managing their security and operations, but those in the trenches are often limited by body corporate/HOA budget restrictions and misunderstandings.

Read more...
SMART Estate Security Conference KZN 2025
Arteco Global Africa OneSpace Technologies SMART Security Solutions Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions Security Services & Risk Management Residential Estate (Industry)
May 2025 saw the SMART Security Solutions team heading off to Durban for our annual Estate Security Conference, once again hosted at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club.

Read more...
Community-centric security architecture
Regal Security Distributors SA Integrated Solutions Residential Estate (Industry)
Securing any large area, whether it is a commercial park or a residential estate, is as much about protecting and monitoring the internal environment as it is about protecting the perimeter.

Read more...
Identity, Security & Access Alliance focuses on intelligence and integration
SMART Security Solutions Ideco Biometrics BoomGate Systems Bosch Building Technologies Technews Publishing Integrated Solutions Surveillance Access Control & Identity Management
The Identity, Security & Access Alliance (ISAA) hosted several launch events in Johannesburg in August, showcasing the participating companies’ technical solutions with a primary focus on the solutions made possible by integrating high-quality systems to deliver comprehensive solutions.

Read more...
Make BIG and COMPLEX small and manageable
neaMetrics Suprema AI & Data Analytics Surveillance Integrated Solutions
Traditional CCTV and access systems often operate separately, creating gaps in visibility and efficiency. TRASSIR and Suprema have partnered to develop an integrated platform that improves security, operations, and situational awareness.

Read more...
Layered security for complex spaces
Regal Security Distributors SA Integrated Solutions Industrial (Industry) Commercial (Industry)
The positive impact of loss prevention and risk management on the bottom line is far more than just a number; it means that assets are physically secure, insurance premiums remain low, and people are protected.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.