We collect and distill a lot of information from our US Ignite Forum workshops, and we know it can be difficult to digest all at once. In addition to our topic-based playbooks available online, we’re now producing content spotlights to highlight the insights we think are most valuable.

From our Smart City Connectivity Forum event in Dallas, here is our spotlight on Creating a Layered Investment Approach, also available as a PDF download.

Creating a Layered Investment Approach

Improving broadband services and closing the digital divide are critically important to many cities. But the notion of connectivity is also evolving as local leaders expand their focus to include preparing for next-generation wireless networks and the Internet of Things.

In San Jose, the city government has divided connectivity types into four categories. This layered architecture gives the city a way to frame investment and management decisions based on what each category of connectivity is expected to deliver. The connectivity layers include:

• Layer 1: Retail broadband for consumers and businesses
• Layer 2: IoT network connecting traffic signals and streetlights for transportation management
• Layer 3: Purpose-built IoT network designed to serve a wide range of use cases
• Layer 4: High-capacity, low-latency network for public safety and connected vehicle applications

From a financial standpoint, San Jose has also run economic models to determine the amount of public investment needed to drive momentum in the private sector. As a result, the city has committed to spending up to $2 billion on new local broadband infrastructure with the goal of encouraging further business investment and promoting network scale.

Further Resources:

Smart City Connectivity Playbook
San Jose Smart City Vision
San Jose Innovation Roadmap