CommsMEA invited Brad Taylor, CEO, Workz Group to join a discussion on smart cities. Here is what he had to say to the magazine.
What are the competitive advantages that place a telco at a better place relative to the other stakeholders?
A telco’s in-depth access to a subscriber’s GPS data can prove to be very valuable to retailers.
How can telcos achieve satisfactory returns on their ever-expanding infrastructure expenditure requirements in the wake of the smart city revolution?
Some of the most logical suggestions so far are adopting a model similar to broadcasters where the user receives messaging in return for connectivity. Studies have shown users would prefer this than paying for the service themselves.
What are the new kinds of technologies in terms of networks and other components which shall be required to be worked upon by the telcos for smart city projects?
Firstly, they will need to be interoperable to keep up with changing technologies. Above all big data will mean greater responsibility for telcos in terms of security and data protection meaning systems providing secure encryption and protection of data will be critical.
What futuristic capabilities are needed to develop organisations as relevant links on the smart city value chain?
Well, to relate it in the context of what we are doing here at Workz, I would say a business has to strive to improve its data capturing, ensuring real-time connectivity and communication of devices across all operations. Once you have this reporting capability in place, you then have the chance for intelligent analysis and predictive actions which is where you can really start to see value.
Published in CommsMEA, June 2016.
