Boingo tips 5G, Wi-Fi play in smart cities development

INTERVIEW: Boingo Wireless SVP of global strategy and emerging business Mike Zeto (pictured) highlighted the importance of 5G and Wi-Fi for building smart cities, to meet the increasingly pressing need for digital and remote services.

Speaking to Mobile World Live, the executive said all types of communications infrastructure are needed “right now more than ever” to provide opportunities for services like distance learning and working, as a means to address challenges around social dislocation and underserved populations in certain areas.

“Whether it be Wi-Fi 6, whether it be 5G and licence spectrum, or 5G and Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), all of it is going to be needed to really drive the value from those use cases and allow that data to move back and forth in real time,” Zeto explained.

While acknowledging priorities and challenges in smart city development might change based on the citizens’ needs, the executive outlined security and sustainability as the main priorities of any strategy focused on digital services.