CommScope recently announced that Petra Systems selected the CommScope Managed Public Networks systems for its Petra Smart Streetlight Network Solution. CommScope’s Managed public Networks systems include Ruckus Wireless WiFi systems. CommScope acquired the Ruckus brand as part of its acquisition of ARRIS.
“The Petra portfolio for smart cities provides municipalities, utilities and transportation authorities with robust streetlight-based IoT networking they can use to manage high-efficiency adaptive street lighting, add solar power generation, and offer WiFi internet access,” CommScope said when announcing the deal with Petra Systems. “With these and other smart-city services the Petra Smart Streetlight Network Solution enables, cities can lower their lighting costs, enhance public safety, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and provide carrier-grade WiFi services. Petra Systems’ selection of CommScope’s Managed Public Networks demonstrates CommScope’s increasing traction in the growing market for smart-city services.”
The Managed Public Networks portfolio includes hardware, services, and network management. CommScope says the portfolio provides all that Petra Systems needs for its Smart Streetlight Network Solutions’ Internet of Things backbone, mobile-data offload and WiFi connectivity. It features complete data center hosting, network analytics and network operations center support and “delivers throughput and uptime guarantees, seamless authentication and billing synchronization” for Petra Systems, CommScope said.
Steve Rhoades, Petra Systems’ chief executive officer, said, “Reducing energy costs is just one of the benefits of the Petra Smart Streetlight Network Solution. With CommScope Managed Public Network, we are able to transform streetlights into comprehensive citywide networks that support new internet connectivity, renewable energy generation and other services that reduce cities’ expenses, increase their revenues, and improve their citizens’ quality of life.”
The CommScope solution includes wireless access points by Ruckus, wireless access gateways deployed in carrier-grade data centers, and virtual private network infrastructure for secure connections.
CommScope explained that by incorporating its connectivity, scaling, and performance analytics, the Petra Smart Streetlight Network Solution “supports cities to increase their efficiency all around. This includes helping cities reduce municipal lighting operating costs, increase renewable energy generation and create new profitable, carrier-grade communication opportunities for data services, mobile-data offload and WiFi connectivity.”
Kevin Keefe, senior vice president and segment leader for network, cloud and services with CommScope, commented, “New smart-city services, enabled by robust IoT connectivity, are rapidly changing the way people live and work today. In partnership with businesses like Petra Systems, ARRIS’s Managed Public Networks and other managed network solutions are accelerating the deployment of new smart-city services by delivering unmatched infrastructure support, including everything from secure onboarding of IoT devices and access points, to WiFi subscriber authentication for smartphones.”