Edge Computing and Edge Nodes: How a Concrete Plan Will Impact the Future of Your Smart City

5G is coming. Technology is moving from solving major issues in coverage (with 4G) to super-sizing performance with throughput and speed (through 5G). Much of the buzzword-compliant future will depend on 5G: Mobile video at ultra-high definition as well as data from the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and applications.

The large-scale success of 5G, on the other hand, will depend majorly on edge computing and edge nodes. Smart cities eventually will be integrated with autonomous vehicles, advanced traffic management systems, drones, HD video surveillance, augmented reality, and more. This isn’t science fiction: This is the future. Below, we will outline how planning for edge computing and edge nodes is vital to the future of your smart city.

What is Edge Computing?

Edge computing allows for more efficient processing of data at the “edge” of the center of activity, rather than relying on the transmission of data across extended access points to a centralized location. Edge computing pushes applications, data, and computing power to the extremes of a network rather than centralized points, and replicates parts of information across a distributed, vast system of web servers.

The major benefit of edge computing is that it enables the connection of sensors on roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Much of these applications are already in place and working in smart cities around the world. By mainstreaming edge computing, smart cities will be better able to scale their applications and technologies in the future.

Why is Edge Computing Important for the Adoption of Smart Cities?

To make the full potential of 5G a reality in the future, it’s vital that more small cells be placed throughout smart cities; particularly in densified areas. Estimates go as high as 800 small cells per square mile per wireless carrier.

This increase is necessary to keep up with the pace of today’s innovative technology. For example, Intel estimates that a single autonomous vehicle will generate four terabytes of data daily. City infrastructure needs to be enabled and pre-installed to sustain this type of data output. Just as network capacity is growing, IoT devices are becoming more prevalent on the market.

Cities Need a Plan for the Future

With the growing number of IoT technologies and the upcoming shift to 5G, it’s important that city planners spend more time thinking about where the infrastructure to support these technologies will live. Importantly, city planners must consider the future of small cell deployment.

Traditional traffic poles are already cluttered with visible small cells, and with the anticipated increase in small cell deployment, there’s likely to be an oversaturation of small cells on these existing poles.

Where can smart city planners propose to store the needed technology? A viable alternative is the Smart Vault. Smart Vaults utilize the space underneath ADA-required curbside ramps, sidewalks and terraces enabling new public ROW for small cell and other smart city technology deployments. These Smart Vaults reduce the visual clutter and mitigate potential hazards on sidewalks and at intersections, improving pedestrian safety. Importantly, Smart Vaults are scalable — they enable the deployment of many other smart city technologies that will crop up in the future.

Where Does All That Fiber Go That Connects Small Cells?

In population centers of cities where there will be densification of small cells for 5G deployment, typical fiber home-runs to a central location becomes physically impossible. Edge nodes become a viable solution to consolidate traffic and cache content downstream. In densified areas of cities where space is at a premium, Smart Vaults under ADA curb ramps, sidewalks and terraces offer waterproof and environmentally controlled space for the placement of edge nodes.

How to Account for Broader Grid Failure

How can smart city planners make sure these distributed capabilities continue to serve despite broader electric grid failures? There are several considerations. First, city officials can make the most of their edge computing by utilizing battery backups. It’s vital that officials give more thought on how to keep their smart technologies running when people rely on them the most.

To achieve this, a likely answer lies in standardizing micro-data centers or edge nodes. These centers should have communications, instrumentation, compute and energy defined in consistent ways, allowing city CIOs to integrate the systems that were once separate silos, and develop infrastructural capabilities to the next level.

Ultimately, cities must choose the option that best fits their long-term plan. With Smart Vaults, city officials can rest easy knowing that they can create space to house new technologies in their own rights of way that is secure, unobtrusive, waterproof and environmentally controlled.

Conclusion

City leaders have two overarching concerns for their smart cities: operational intelligence and a greater focus on the needs of their community. For the smart city, these objectives (along with the very real, very fast technological advances standing before officials) will drive the need for edge computing power.

With 5G on the horizon, cell site owners are pressured to rethink network architecture with the placement of edge nodes in mind. With already cluttered light, electric and traffic signal poles housing most of the small cell technology, it’s critical that municipalities and cities adopt a better solution for their small cell deployment needs: Smart Vaults.

Want to know more about the Smart Vault? Reach out to SYNDÉO, a leader in the small cell, Smart Vault deployment.