Cisco Lays Out Blueprint of Indian Smart Cities

Cisco has unveiled ‘Cisco Smart City’ as a blueprint for the future of smart and connected communities in India. The initiative is the outcome of Cisco’s collaboration with the Government of India on the Digital India initiative. 

Cisco Smart City symbolizes what the digitization of a country means for the future of work, education, healthcare and the electronic delivery of citizen services, Cisco said. The Internet of Everything (IoE)-powered Globalization Centre East campus in Bangalore demonstrates how citizens can live, work, play and learn in a Digital India. 

At the inaugural event, Cisco demonstrated the possibilities of the government’s Digital India program where infrastructure would be offered as a utility to every citizen, governance and services would be on demand and citizens would be digitally empowered.

With Internet of Everything, Cisco showcased how connected education, connected healthcare, smart buildings, connected transport and smart parking can transform the way cities and communities are designed, built and renewed to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Cisco Smart City also explains how a pervasive physical network infrastructure can easily connect to devices (such as sensors, information access points and mobile devices) and with a high degree of security.
The Digital India program focuses on the digital empowerment of citizens by improving broadband connectivity, universal phone connectivity, public Internet access points, public Wi-Fi in schools and universities, digital inclusion, electronic delivery of governance and services, and job creation.
The Cisco Smart City, with LEED Platinum Certified buildings, also showcases the future of work- a future that is not just about connected devices, but also about when and where people work, and how companies can foster creativity, collaboration and productivity in the workplace.

Wim Elfrink, Cisco executive vice president for Industry Solutions and chief globalization officer, said, “We believe that the Cisco Smart City in Bangalore can be a model for smart cities not just in India but around the world. For government leaders thinking about the delivery of citizen services or for companies thinking about how to be ready for the future of work, the Cisco Smart City presents a blueprint on how to be relevant.”

Dinesh Malkani, president, India and SAARC, said the foundation for a Digital India will be intelligent networks which will transform the delivery of citizen services from transportation, utilities and security to entertainment, education, and healthcare.

“The Cisco Smart City and the announcement of the next phase of our expansion of the Cisco India site underline our commitment to deepening our presence in India and helping transform the way citizens in a Digital India will live, work, play and learn,” Malkani adds.

R Chandrashekhar, president, The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), addressed the issues that rapid urbanization brings to cities when the current infrastructure likes transportation, power, water and waste management are already overburdened.

“This presents new vistas of opportunity for the entire IT ecosystem and an opportunity to work cohesively with the government to help transform India,” Chandrashekhar said. “Cisco’s Smart City is a great working example of how technology companies can help the government better appreciate and leverage the role of technology in tackling these infrastructure challenges and help realize its larger vision of a Digital India.”

Globally, Cisco has already collaborated with cities such as Barcelona, Spain, and the city of Canberra, for smart city initiatives.

As part of its Smart+Connected Communities projects, Cisco is engaged in 90 global greenfield and brownfield projects, which include the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor in India, where Cisco is developing the ICT master plan for four pilot cities in the $90 billion flagship public sector infrastructure project.