ATT and the City of San Jose Team Up to Improve Quality of Life

ATT and the City of San José reportedly are extending their ongoing relationship with a grant of more than a million dollars to help close the digital divide and leverage smart cities solutions to help address some of the critical issues facing the community.

AT&T is deploying smart cities solutions across 14 parks in San José, according the announcement. This Internet of Things (IoT) technology will help improve lighting quality, expand public safety capabilities, and reduce energy usage across the city. Solutions include:

• 670 smart lighting controllers and 550 LEDs that will help improve lighting quality, reduce energy costs and decrease environmental impacts
• More than 100 Wi-Fi extenders to provide public Wi-Fi connectivity
• 15 Digital Infrastructure nodes that will help improve public safety

In addition, AT&T will support the San José community by providing $200,000 to help local community organizations tackle the digital divide. Seniors, youth, and underrepresented groups will benefit from resources, including digital literacy training and access to devices. 

“Our public-private partnership with AT&T offers another example of how San José is working collaboratively with companies to improve our community and solve problems with technology,” said Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San José. “Together we're working to close the digital divide, improve lighting and public safety in our parks, and minimize our environmental impact along the way.”

This collaboration represents one of the many ways cities can utilize new and emerging technologies to create smarter, safer and more sustainable communities, the partners said in the release.

“By taking a programmatic approach to smart cities deployments, cities can truly optimize their investments in technology,” said Michael Zeto, VP and GM, Smart Cities, AT&T. “Our smart lighting controllers will help San José reduce energy usage and improve efficiencies across the city – a win for the community and the environment.”

Further supporting the San José community and public safety, FirstNet Band 14 spectrum has been deployed in the area. FirstNet – built with AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority – is Public Safety's dedicated, nationwide communications platform.

AT&T has long been committed to investing in San José and California and using the Internet of Things (IoT) for Good. From 2015 to 2017, AT&T contributed more than $45.8 million through giving programs across the state.