Contents

Let there be
smart light

"I’m walking with my lantern..." (from a German children's song)... How an entirely new type of street lighting will change your life in the city.

I magine you're taking the dog out for his last walk of the evening. As soon as you open the door, the street light in front of your house greets you by shining brighter. And wherever you go, the street lights come on – just for you. On empty streets, the street lights stay dimmed, thereby saving energy. Or imagine that you are driving home from the late shift and the streets become pleasantly lit and safe as you drive along. Crossing cars are announced by illuminated street lights. No, this isn't science fiction. It's part of the concept of the next-generation city: the Smart City. Deutsche Telekom wants to make cities smarter and is supporting numerous pilot projects in this vein. The overriding goal is to make life in cities more comfortable and safer, while at the same time saving costs and energy.

Let there be smart light

Imagine you're taking the dog for a walk late in the evening or coming home from the night shift with your car. Klick the info graphic and experience which tricks the smart street light makes your life easier.

  • Light on demand

    When there's no-one on the street, the lights automatically get turned down or switched off completely. This saves energy and at the same time reduces light pollution.

  • Safely on the way

    Taking a short walk with the dog in the evening? No Problem! As soon as your leaving your house, movement sensors detect your location and illuminate your way.

  • The smart charging station

    Smart streetlights can turn into the Swiss army knives of big cities: Apart from smart lighting, they can also serve as charging stations for electrical cars.

And that's urgently needed. Why? – Because more than half of the world's population is already living in cities. In 2030 this figure is estimated to grow to 5 billion people, which is causing enormous challenges for cities. Streets are increasingly crowded, parking spots are becoming rarer and the environment is being more and more polluted. With Smart City solutions, Deutsche Telekom wants to help cities master these challenges. Core issues include the mobility of the future and smart parking systems, as well as public safety.

Smart cities don't just show you the way to the closest parking spot. They also make your life in the city safer and are more easy on the environment.

Intelligent street lighting is one component of Smart City solutions. It not only helps achieve between 30 and 70 percent savings in energy consumption thanks to intelligent energy management, it's a true "Swiss Army knife" for the Smart City as well. It's a measuring station for air quality and temperature, a charging station for electric-powered cars and a Wi-Fi hotspot all in one. What's more, thanks to its CitySafe function it can record what's happening in its surroundings on video, thereby assisting investigations into vandalism, theft and other crimes and even deterring would-be criminals – a milestone for citizen safety.

Those who are curious to try the new street light technology for themselves can do so in the "smart street" in Dubrovnik. The picturesque historic city on Croatia's Adriatic coast is worth the visit for its cultural heritage alone. But recently it also became an important test site for Deutsche Telekom's Smart City solutions. In addition to the intelligent lighting systems, you can also check out how to find an available parking spot using an app. 

11 Sustainable cities

Building a resilient infrastructure, furthering inclusive and sustainable industrialization and supporting innovations – that's the eleventh sustainable development goal of the United Nations.

Our contribution

With innovative solutions, we participate in the transformation of towns into smart cities. In this way, we support towns to grow sustainably and offer more comfort and safety to their citizens.

Deutsche Telekom is supporting additional pilot projects in Germany in Monheim am Rhein and in Hamburg, but also internationally in Bucharest, Romania and in Skopje, Macedonia, for example, the award-winning Smart City project.