ultra-reliable connectivity and interactivity to meet their needs. On the
contrary, there could be things like cloud-based services which will
be reliant on fast data rates, but not necessarily need low latency. In
such cases, network slicing allows the providers to partition or slice up
their 5G network to accomplish the different requirements of different
services.
Amidst the rush and roar of new IoT technology clamouring for
its share in the smart cities, Li-fi enters the race at a speed 100 times
faster than Wi-fi. The “Fidelity” or Li-fi technology uses the visible light
portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit information at
very high speeds. This contrasts with the established forms of wireless
communication such as Wi-fi which uses traditional radio frequency
(RF) signals to transmit data. Li-fi technology and its applications can
provide Li-fi management solutions combining hardware and software
together with cloud platforms, to a variety of sectors including road
and transport, telecommunication and smart city authorities. They also
have management solutions for hospital and health care as well as for
sensitive environments.
LoRa is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) specification intend-
ed for wireless battery-operated equipment in a regional, national
or global network. LoRa targets at the key requirements of Internet
of Things such as secure bi-directional communication, mobility and
localisation services. It has been developed specifically to meet the
needs of IoT and smart cities. LoRa can connect and manage their own
sub systems of a city such as waste-management, agriculture, parking,
lighting etc..
The smart city concept is can not be made a reality without challenges.
For instance, the success of such a city depends on its residents,
entrepreneurs and visitors becoming actively involved in energy sav-
ing and implementation of new technologies. There are many ways to
make residential, commercial and public spaces sustainable through
technology, but a high percentage of the total energy use is still in the
hands of end-users and their behaviour. However, each of the above
technologies works together to make smart cities even smarter.
Smart cities are no longer the wave of the future. They are already
here and growing quickly as the Internet of Things (IoT) expands and
impacts municipal services around the globe. As the world’s popu-
lation grows, and more people move into urban areas, the need for
smarter cities will increase to make the best use of available resources.
Niwasna Aruni Bandara
Third year
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Reference
1. Michael Totty. (2017) The Rise of the Smart City. [Online]Available at:
https://www.wsj.com/ [Accessed on July 15th, 2017]
2. SPI Group. (2016) LiFi to Bring the Smart City to Life. [Online]
Available at: http://www.innovationandtech.ae/ [Accessed on July
15th, 2017]
3. Margarita Angelidou. (2015) Smart Cities: A Conjuncture of Four
Forces.[Online] Available on: http://www.sciencedirect.com/
[Accessed on July 17th, 2017]
Gauge Magazine University of Peradeniya 9