Smart street lighting and smart in-building energy management systems in local government buildings could provide savings of £402 million, according to a new research by ComRes for Vodafone UK.
The telecom analysis report shows that 67 percent of urban councilors are not aware of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technologies.
77 percent of people living in urban areas would support their council’s decision to invest more in new technology to drive improved public services.
Though the majority of urban councilors are positive about investment in technology, 67 percent are not familiar with M2M. By utilizing M2M or Internet of Things (IoT), local councils in the U.K. could benefit from savings while improving key services.
Smart street lighting and energy management systems in local government buildings, for example, could save over £400 million, making up around 5 percent of the cuts expected over the next year with two M2M-based solutions.
Vodafone UK worked with research partner ComRes to poll 629 GB urban councilors and over 1,600 residents living in or on the fringes of the country’s urban areas
Matt Key, director of M2M sales and commercial at Vodafone, said: “The lack of awareness of the benefits to be gained from M2M and the Internet of Things means that urban councils are missing out on opportunities to deliver better.”
