STAFFORD, VA – May 4, 2022 – The Virginia Smart Community Testbed launched an energy efficient, broadband connectivity smart pole as a new pilot project for smart community solutions. The first phase installation, which includes the BrightSites Smart Pole and Broadband Luminaires by Signify was completed on April 23, 2022 and is located on the Stafford County Government Center campus.
The broadband solution, BrightSites Smart Poles and Broadband Luminaires, allow communities to quickly rollout a next generation Smart City connectivity grid using intelligent lighting with gigabit technology, streamlined broadband fiber, and wireless technologies to demonstrates how cities can quickly expand public access to the Internet and improve public services and safety.
“Stafford is proud to be the home of the Testbed for the Commonwealth and to be the host for this exciting Pilot Project,” said John Holden, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for Stafford County.
The pilot project was selected by the Virginia Smart Community Testbed and Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) to test innovative approaches to energy efficiency, while extending broadband solutions. The project showcases how to deploy broadband in urban, suburban and rural regions of the county and the state of Virginia. The project expands public access to the internet and provides a platform to improve public services and safety. This smart community solution also simultaneously supports IoT applications such as cameras, environmental sensors, intelligent lighting, and traffic congestion monitors. The Testbed’s broadband project validates solutions that help bridge the digital divide, foster economic growth, conserve energy, save taxpayer dollars, and accelerate broadband access and modernize government services.
“Fostering innovation and improving secure public internet access is important to enhancing the lives of Virginians,” commented David Ihrie, CTO and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation. “This innovative Smart City technology will give cities and rural communities throughout Virginia the opportunity to stay connected, be safer, and work smarter.”
Project partners and leaders who participated in the deployment of this project include:
- NFF – Project management and ongoing network security and performance maintenance
- Signify – Broadband Luminaires, IoT Smart Pole, and Interact (connected lighting system and software)
- Cisco – Meraki Wi-Fi and camera hardware and software
- TRAXyL – FiberTRAX “painted” fiber solution to the Smart Pole Helicore – Smart Pole foundation and structural package
- Express-Tek – Outside plant engineering and deployment services
“We’re honored to be part of this historic evolution and have the Testbed as our first deployment of Broadband Luminaires in North America,” stated Malik Ishak, Director, Smart City Connectivity at Signify North America. “Our solution provides scalable gigabit speed connectivity in an aesthetic manner through existing lighting grids which both extend and complement physical fiber wirelessly in the last mile of cities for broadband and IOT.”
The Virginia Smart Community Testbed is the home to developing smart city technology for the Commonwealth. It is the first Smart City testbed involving an IoT platform fully integrated with 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and other new and emerging technologies. It is a “shared knowledge platform” to develop practical and relevant smart technologies solutions.
The Virginia Smart Community Testbed opened in May 2021 as a true public-private partnership involving multiple industry partners who will focus on relevant and practical use cases to produce innovative solutions using emerging and smart technologies.
Check out the exclusive and full release on the Virginia Smart Community Testbed’s website by clicking here.
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About the Virginia Smart Community Testbed: The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and Stafford County opened the Commonwealth’s Virginia Smart Community Testbed in 2021. The vision of the Testbed is to make the Commonwealth of Virginia a leading state in Smart Community implementation, focusing on the economic, and social benefits of the digital transformation. The Testbed in Stafford serves this vision while also home to the Virginia RIoT entrepreneur accelerator program. It is the first Smart City Testbed involving an IoT platform, fully integrated with 5G and other new and emerging technologies for Smart Cities around the country. For information on the Testbed, to pilot a project, become a sponsor or investor, visit www.VATestbed.com.
About the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC): Connecting Innovators with opportunities. The nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), VIPC is the commercialization and seed stage economic development driver in the Commonwealth that leads funding, infrastructure and policy initiatives to support Virginia’s innovators, entrepreneurs, startups and market development strategies. VIPC collaborates with local, regional, state, and federal partners to support the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy. Programs include: Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) | Virginia Founders Fund (VFF) | Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) | Smart Communities | Unmanned Systems | Entrepreneurial Ecosystems | Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) | Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) for SBIR & STTR | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement. For more information, visit www.VirginiaIPC.org.
About Stafford County & the Department of Economic Development & Tourism: Stafford County is located halfway between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. The Department of Economic Development & Tourism is the sales arm for the community, committed to advancing expansion and investment to Stafford County. The Testbed is a key component to “Smart Stafford.” Stafford is a smart place for innovation and entrepreneurship in smart and cyber technology. Stafford’s role in the Testbed focuses on improving the lives of residents, businesses, and the visitor experience. For more information on Stafford’s Economic Development & Tourism, visit www.GoStaffordVA.com or www.TourStaffordVA.com.
About Networking For Future, Inc.: Networking For Future, Inc. (NFF) is a Washington, DC-based company offering a performance-focused approach to delivering transformational IT business solutions. We take pride in keeping users productive and engaged by providing business and IT teams with the solutions they need to improve their performance in a dynamic, connected world. Since 1996, NFF has delivered architecture, design implementation, professional support services, and hardware and software sales pertaining to Network Infrastructure, Data Center and Cloud, Network and Endpoint Security, Application Assurance, Collaboration and Mobility, and Staff Augmentation. In addition, NFF, an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, is a Cisco Gold Partner, Riverbed Premier Partner, Splunk Partner, NetApp Gold Partner, VMware Enterprise Partner, Microsoft Certified Silver Partner, Gigamon Partner, F5 Networks Partner, and Coresite Partner. NFF also holds GSA Schedule 47QTCA21D0047 and other government contract vehicles. For more information, visit www.nffinc.com.
About Signify: Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2021 sales of EUR 6.9 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for five consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page. For more information, contact Corporate Communications at: elco.van.groningen@signify.com.
About Cisco Systems: Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow’s digital opportunity today. Cisco Meraki is a cloud-managed IT company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Their products include wireless, switching, security, enterprise mobility management and security cameras, all centrally managed from the web. With intuitive technologies, we optimize IT experiences, secure locations, and seamlessly connect people, places, and things.
For more information, visit www.cisco.com.
About TRAXyL: TRAXyL is making optical data connectivity affordable and accessible to everyone. FiberTRAX, an on-demand “painted” fiber solution, provides a new pathway for 5G backhaul, bringing data from the antenna to the edge. FiberTRAX is a simple, smart and efficient way to install surface-mount optical fiber for last mile, access drops, and final end point broadband connectivity. For more information, visit www.traxyl.com.
About Express Technologies Inc.: Express Technologies Inc. (Express-Tek) provides turnkey telecom solutions through design, engineering, permitting, and construction of fiber optic networks and utility infrastructure. Since 2002, Express-Tek has risen to become a leader in the telecom industry with its team having over 50 years of combined experience. Express-Tek makes it easy to connect the world, meeting our customers’ needs with extensive knowledge and expertise. For more information, visit www.express-tek.com.
About Helicore LLC: In a rapidly changing industry, Helicore is helping wireless network owners create small cell 4G/5G networks faster and more efficiently. Our team of industry experts at Helicore have developed an innovative, patented foundation system that solves those problems by allowing a fully encompassed streetlight replacement in one day with minimal disruption. While time savings is certainly a key advantage, the system inherently allows streetlights to remain in the same exact location satisfying municipalities as their streetscape design remains unaltered. Our system is the least intrusive and fastest method to deploy 5G on the market today. Contact us today to discover how Helicore is transforming all aspects of 4G/5G network densification and deployment. For more information, visit www.helicore.co.