Guangzhou tests smart street lamps

A group of multifunctioning intelligent street lamps using 5G technology began pilot operations on Sunday on a street in downtown Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

One of the smart street lamps in the city's Tianhe district can function as a surveillance camera, a 5G base station, a road sign and a mobile phone charger.

The lamps, developed by the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau, will be installed in more areas of the city, where demand for 5G micro base stations is expected to be much higher than for traditional 4G networks. Guangzhou is the pilot city for 5G.

According to the power supply bureau, smart street lamps will provide the best 5G network layout for high-quality micro base stations in the near future.

The power supply company is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Southern Power Grid, which invests, builds and operates power networks throughout Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan provinces, and in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Touch screens are installed on the poles of the intelligent street lamps, which allows pedestrians to check road conditions, connect to Wi-Fi and search for information about the city.

Some lamp poles are equipped with electric vehicle charging devices, which have a charging power of 60 kilowatts - much higher than the 7-kilowatt chargers commonly used in smart street lamps. That allows recharging of up to 80 percent within half an hour.

Some of the smart street lamps are also equipped with a secondary anti-leak protection device to ensure the safety and reliability of the pole installation.

Smart street lamps are popular nationwide, as a growing number of Chinese cities are transforming themselves into smart cities.

"Based on 5G technology, smart street lamps will become a platform for the city's internet of things, as they have multiple connections and low energy consumption," said Feng Shengping, chief researcher at the Guangdong Provincial Situation Research Center.

Feng said the operation of the intelligent street lighting system will also help promote the use of new energy vehicles.

"The smart street lamps can provide basic support for carriers, power supply and communication. Their increased use means there will be more charging facilities for new energy vehicles in the city," Feng said.