At UITP World Congress and Exhibition, the world’s biggest public transport event, Ericsson is demonstrating a connected bus stop concept that incorporates 3G, LTE or Wi-Fi small cell technology.
The connected bus stop’s small cell infrastructure will provide public transport operators with an additional source of revenue, as it can be leased to telecom mobile operators as a means of densifying their networks. In addition to conventional consumer uses for mobile broadband, the connected bus stop will support functionality that is particularly useful for commuters.
This could include screens that display real-time information about bus movements and touch-screens that provide access to interactive maps, local news, tourist information and advertising. In addition, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, panic button and push-to-talk functionality could be incorporated to increase security and make it easy for commuters to contact emergency services or the police.
In dense urban environments such as shopping, business, entertainment and financial districts, capacity is often stretched to the limit and many networks can’t consistently deliver high downlink speeds.
The connected bus stop – an application of the Small Cell as a Service offering Ericsson launched in 2014 – alleviates this problem by creating a separate small cell access network that is integrated with telecom operators’ transmission networks.
Ericsson provides the technology and associated services in a partnership with transport operators and local telecom network operators.
Orvar Hurtig, Head of Industry & Society at Ericsson, says:
“Ericsson delivers and operates ICT infrastructure and services for road, rail and public transport based on our leading portfolio of telecommunications solutions and services. At UITP, we will demonstrate both concepts and commercial offerings that have the potential to improve public transport for both operators and end users.”
In addition to the connected bus stop concept, Ericsson will also demonstrate:
Small Cell as a Service – an established means of increasing and sharing network capacity in environments where it isn’t feasible to add additional macro cells to operator networks.
Connected Traffic Cloud – a managed cloud concept that enables the sharing of real-time traffic and road condition data between connected vehicles and road traffic authorities.
Mobility as a service – a concept that facilitates multi-modal transport, whereby various means of private and public transport can be combined and e-tickets are stored on smartphones.
