Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - 12:35
The director of the IMI’s Office for Knowledge Society, Jordi Cirera, spoke at the session to offer a 360-degree view of 5G technology.
Rivas Vaciamadrid Municipal Council and the COIT (Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación), organised the 7th Rivas Smart City Meeting in Rivas Vaciamadrid on 22 and 23 June. The second day of the event saw the director of the IMI’s Office for Knowledge Society, Jordi Cirera, help explore and provide a 360-degree view of 5G technology.
While the first day was used for an in-depth look at the future of smart cities, the second day mainly focused on 5G technology and the EU’s Next Generation recovery funds.
The round table ‘360º view of 5G’ was held on the second day and was moderated by Francisco Javier Harcia, secretary of the RECI, Spain’s network of smart cities. The session also included Maria Eugenia Sánchez, representing Seville City Council, and Jordi Cirera, who between them offered a perspective of the management and application of 5G in the public administration under the title ‘New Challenges for the Administration’.
During the course of the session, attention also turned to the vision of cities, ministries and operators on issues and the value of attaining 5G technology. The director of the IMI’s Office for Knowledge Society went into detail about the need to resolve issues posed on technical, organisational and legal levels, as well as the need to take into account the meticulous detail these require.
One of the main challenges for the roll-out of 5G technology is the paradigm shift represented by Small Calls (SAWAPs), which can mean the distribution of thousands of access points and can be installed in publicly-owned infrastructures (street lights, traffic lights, canopies etc.). This implies reaching agreements with all parties involved, bearing in mind that technical safety guidelines must be adhered to. In this respect, the degree of preparation for resolving these issues requires collaboration between the administration and the communications companies, who are ultimately the ones with the possibility of making use of public infrastructures to be able to roll out different technologies.
More on the RECI
The RECI, the Spanish network of smart cities, began life in June 2011 with the signing of the ‘Manifesto for Smart Cities. Innovation for Progress’. The goal was to create an open network to foster the socio-economic and business progress of cities through innovation and knowledge, making use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The idea is to exchange experiences and work together to develop a sustainable management model, improve people’s quality of life and have an influence on aspects such as energy savings, sustainable mobility, the e-administration, care of people and security. The network is currently made up of 83 cities.
Click here to see the whole meeting.
