Seoul plans to deploy up to 1000 LoRaWan-based gateways in the South Korean capital by 2022 and grow its smart city IoT infrastructure using technology from California-based Semtech.
 
The city government plans to deploy an enterprise-grade citywide network for IoT applications based on LoRa devices and the LoRaWan protocol. The network is part of a larger plan by the city government to increase its connectivity offerings and create one of the world’s first hyper-connected cities by 2022.
 
Also included in this plan is the creation of a public and free-to-use municipal wifi network, accessible to all from anywhere within the city’s limits.
 
“LoRaWan and wifi cover hundreds of uses cases, many of which are highly complementary to key market segments for the future of city operation,” said Marc Pegulu, vice president of IoT at Semtech. “Applications leveraging LoRaWan that make use of the unlicensed spectrum deliver simple, highly efficient, flexible and secure IoT solutions. These are very important in large cities such as Seoul, where smarter municipal operations save time, resources and money.”
 
According to the Seoul government, the S-Net smart Seoul network will provide all citizens with the basic right to internet access through its deployment of new, ultra-connected smart city infrastructure. The main goals of the S-Net project are the establishment of a municipal broadband network, deployment of free-to-use wifi networks and increased integration of IoT infrastructure based on LoRa devices.
 
By 2022, the city plans to deploy up to 1000 LoRaWan-based gateways to complement the municipal wifi and provide the foundation for Seoul’s innovative smart city applications. The city has announced several such applications it plans to implement following the network’s completion.
 
These applications include smart parking using IoT sensors to connect city lots, connected street lighting that automatically reports to police upon detecting an emergency, and a geolocation application using the tracking information of those suffering from dementia and children to keep these citizens safe. Additionally, the city government expects to increase its collection and use of urban data to address the needs of its citizens.
 
Often ranked among the world’s most technologically advanced cities, Seoul is a leader in internet connectivity, being the capital of South Korea, which has the world’s highest fibre-optic broadband penetration and highest global average internet speeds.
 
Since 2015, Seoul has provided free wifi access in outdoor spaces through a Won 47.7bn project with internet access on 10,430 parks, streets and other public places. Internet speeds in some apartment buildings reach up to 52.5Gbit/s with assistance from Nokia and, though the average standard consists of 100Mbit/s services, providers nationwide are increasingly deploying affordable 1Gbit/s connections.
 
In addition, the city is served by the KTX high-speed rail and the Seoul subway, which provides 4G LTE, wifi and DMB inside subway cars.