The local authority’s upgrade will not require new masts, and forms part of a county-wide project.
Southend-on-Sea Council’s new digital network will support a number of public services, including community hubs and digital inclusion projects.
The technology, known as LoRaWAN – Long Range Wide Area Network – allows small, low-powered sensors to deliver data over significant distances without relying on standard mobile networks or Wi-Fi. Instead, a 280km full fibre system is used, which will open free access to public services for the next 15 years.
Southend’s aim is to improve user experiences by making services more proactive and ‘smarter’. That could mean identifying food risks faster, boosting the accuracy of real time air quality measurement, and locating the most vulnerable residents to offer more support.
Smart technology provider Connexin is running a second LoRaWAN network in the region, which is focused on a wide scale smart water meter programme in conjunction with Essex and Suffolk Water. Utilising streetlight poles, some of the council’s capacity will also support demand as and when needed.
This will include a free app for all customers, allowing them to check water usage hourly, daily, weekly and monthly, helping reduce bills and domestic carbon footprints. Residents have been assured the sensors will not collect personal data such as images or video.
‘This is a smart, resident-first solution. By using the infrastructure we already have, like streetlights, we’ve avoided our streets being cluttered with lots of new masts. We said we’d find a way to stop the masts, and we did,’ said Cllr Daniel Cowan, Leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council. ‘This digital network, developed in partnership with other South Essex councils, allows us to deliver services in a faster, smarter, and more cost-effective way with potential to do more to improve our services.
‘The agreement with Southend-on-Sea City Council is a great collaboration to bring innovation to the region. Wherever possible, we want to work with local authorities in this way,’ said Dan Preece, Vice President of Water and Utilities at Connexin. ‘By granting this agreement, we are able to utilise the existing infrastructure to avoid construction, meaning less disruption to the ecosystem and a smarter, more connected, sustainable future.’
Image: Rodion Kutsaiev / Unsplash
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