F Smart poles launch Saldanha Bay Municipality into the digital future

“The Internet of Things and smart cities, in general, are changing the face of our world, and the analytical ability of these smart poles, which is enabled by our fibre, means SBM is leading the pack in South Africa,” he says.

An issue that anyone in the Saldanha Bay Municipality will be aware of, is how cellphone coverage takes a dip and sometimes disappears during loadshedding in the region. These smart towers could well form bases for Long Term Evolution (LTE) providers to deliver connectivity to their customers without the fear of power cuts as the poles themselves would be powered by solar panels and bi-directional turbines. This could radically change the experience for thousands of residents.

Similarly, citizens who use Zoom Fibre through any ISP will eventually be able to log onto their own Internet package when they move from tower to tower, a bit like taking their home fibre package with them when they go out and about. Asmal says that even those without Internet packages would eventually be able to access WiFi, the details of which will be ironed out shortly. He adds that Zoom Fibre would be conducting feasibility studies around deploying the same LTE and WiFi functionality in other regions in due course.

The launch of the smart poles in SBM follows the launch of a mobile app produced by Baobab Project partner Amoeba TSC and made available to municipal rates customers towards the end of last year. “We are committed to this region and will continue pioneering the power of fibre and working with our partners to turn SBM into a smart city connected to the world,” says Asmal. “Similarly, as we take the lessons learnt from SBM and its journey to becoming a true smart city, we will eventually deploy more value-added services in other regions serviced by Zoom Fibre.” S