London’s Buckingham Palace area to get royal IoT treatment

London’s Westminster City will soon be wired with the Silver Springs Networks’ Starfish Internet of Things (IoT) mesh network, transforming the venerable neighborhood of palaces and cathedrals into a modern smart city.

The firm announced its latest deployment in a media announcement against the backdrop of the Internet of Things World Conference and Exposition, in Santa Clara, Calif.

Silicon Valley-headquartered Silver Spring will expand its Starfish IoT network in collaboration with go-to-market partner urbancontrol. The project will activate a wireless IPv6 mesh canopy across London’s Westminster City that includes such tourist attractions as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey.

Westminster City Council is planning to initially connect more than 4,000 lighted signs and traffic poles via the IoT network as part of its “Smart Signs” program that will improve public safety and reduce operational costs.

“Westminster is taking an innovative approach to managing their assets to create even greater efficiencies and experiences by leveraging a two-way digital communication platform,” said urbancontrol director Stuart Wilson. “Our hope is that other boroughs will adopt proven technology and open standards in order to provide a seamless experience for the public throughout London, as they consider their long-terms plans for additional smart city and IoT services.

Silver Springs network coming to other cities soon

Starfish enables access to a public IoT network platform that can connect industrial IoT equipment with the backing of service level agreements (SLAs). This network will be of use to commercial enterprises, highway and transportation departments, administrations, city agencies, public lighting operators and utilities.

In the future Silver Spring plans to roll out Starfish in San Jose, San Antonio, Chicago, Bristol, Copenhagen, Glasgow and Kolkata.

“By embracing IoT technology, cities can enhance the sharing of information between people and their city to deliver a more efficient, prosperous and economically thriving community,” said Silver Spring Networks’s Executive Vice President of Global Development Eric Dresselhuys.