Patras is Greece’s Pioneer for Digital City

Patras, Greece’s third-largest city, is the country’s pioneer in implementing NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB IoT) communication technology. This technology enables new city services such as smart parking and smart lighting, helping to transform Patras into a smart city.

The city of Patras is the first in Greece and one of the first in Europe to use narrowband IoT communication technology in its smart city solutions. Cosmote, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom (DT) Group partnered up with the city of Patras to launch a pilot. Specialized smart parking sensors were installed in existing parking spaces on Patreos Street, and smart lighting sensors added along Othonos-Amalias Street. A mobile phone based parking app will now be available to guide drivers to free parking spaces, reducing congestion and improving citizens’ quality of life. Likewise, smart lighting systems will adjust to different light levels at different times of the day and year, saving on electricity consumption using this communication technology. The project brought together Huawei technology, the OTS smart parking app, Kafkas LED lighting systems, and Flashnet smart lighting controllers.

NB IoT  supports the communication of a huge number of devices requiring low bandwidths, deep indoor penetration and low energy consumption. The technology  enables various devices to be connected at a lower cost than ever before. It is far superior in quality and safety than other communication technologies proposed for use with Smart City and Internet of Things. Deutsche Telekom pushes the commercial expansion of narrowband IoT by rolling it out  in eight countries through 2017: Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and Croatia.

Everything started last year with the Deutsche Telekom narrowband IoT Prototyping Hub initiative, supported by hub:raum in Krakow, in which our partner Flashnet took part. The program brings existing and potential customers together with IoT specialists. DT’s live Narrowband IoT communication base stations let them test out new applications and sensors in the lab. Participating start-ups receive direct access to the technology and a starter pack with the latest hardware and software to enable them to tap into Deutsche Telekom’s extensive expertise.

DT Group is also working with other European cities, for example Hamburg and Dortmund  in Germany, to offer smart parking solutions based on NB-IoT.