The rise of 5G, the fifth generation of wireless connectivity, has captured the attention of some US city governments as they seek to leverage technology to upgrade urban infrastructure and services. With its high-speed connectivity, minimal latency, and ability to support a large number of devices, 5G holds promise for "smart" cities.
In 2018, John Suthers, then the mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado, announced a plan to turn his hometown into a smart city. The goal was to use technology and data-driven solutions to improve livability, sustainability, and efficiency by building integrated systems for public services, such as transportation, energy, and waste management.
Five years on, the city has made progress toward that goal — with key developments powered by 5G.
How 5G connectivity made trash cans 'smart'
In various aspects of city operations in Colorado Springs, 5G integration is proving valuable.
Joshua Pace, a senior contracting specialist in the city's Office of Innovation, said: "Technology has improved parking, transit and streetlight-maintenance processes."
Streetlights now self-report outages immediately through the 5G network and double as data-collection points with weather and air-quality sensors, Pace said. Plans for smart streetlights include gunshot detection and community WiFi to help bridge the digital divide.
Pace added that trash cans with 5G connectivity had changed the city's waste-management practices by optimizing collection routes and reducing operational costs. The bins are equipped with sensors to monitor waste levels, enabling timely and efficient collection. They also monitor the temperature inside the bins, allowing for faster response time in the event of a dumpster fire.
Discussing future applications of 5G, Pace told Insider: "We've researched using 5G for kiosks, cameras, and autonomous vehicles."
Informational kiosks using 5G connectivity would provide local information and could be used for advertising, Pace said. Autonomous vehicles with 5G, meanwhile, could theoretically enable efficient transportation systems and improve traffic management by using AI to avoid high-traffic areas and reduce collisions.
Colorado Springs is using 5G strategically
Where tech innovations and investment are concerned, Pace emphasized the city's "problem-first" approach: "We start with identifying a problem and then find the technology to alleviate that problem."
This strategic mindset drives the city's initiatives to implement technology that provides valuable data for analysis and interpretation, such as pinpointing high-traffic areas to reduce congestion or using regional snow-depth measurements to better inform residents of delays or closures.
Key advantages of 5G lie in its faster download speeds and lower latency, as well as the fact that it doesn't require physical cable networks since it works with cell towers. This scalability and efficiency make 5G an appealing solution for cities aiming to enhance their connectivity infrastructure without expensive and disruptive fiber installations.
Pace pointed to these benefits as driving Colorado Springs' 5G adoption.
"It's not feasible to install fiber to connect every smart-city device," he said. "We'd have to dig in the ground, install the conduit, pull the fiber, etc. — it's a lot of work, takes a lot of time, and it is expensive. By using the cellular network, we have more flexibility with where and how quickly we can locate, or relocate, our smart-city devices."
More 'smart' change is on the way
The city has made additional investments in smart tech, including bringing e-scooters to Colorado Springs and developing an app that helps residents prepare for climate-related disasters, such as wildfires and winter storms.
Though not everyone is convinced by the "smart" developments — some Reddit users blasted cell service and public transportation in the city — Pace is confident 5G and other tech innovation will make the difference.
"There are so many ways we can use technology to improve our services for residents," he said. "With the expansion of 5G, it becomes easier to deploy this kind of technology."
