Imagine a city where everyday devices and services are connected. Governments can use data to work smarter for its citizens. Traffic flows smoother because cars receive alerts notifying their drivers of congestion ahead. Citizens enjoy better safety with instant text alerts of suspicious activity or criminals in the area. And neighborhoods are cleaner thanks to automated pick up notifications for waste management companies.

This vision for a better future is rapidly becoming reality around the world as more and more locales move toward becoming “smart cities.” To incorporate technology into so many aspects of day-to-day life requires two things – a pipeline capable of moving huge amounts of data and information from one device to another and a system connecting it all seamlessly.

The challenges of equipping a city with the bandwidth needed to connect all our lives is made possible through the convergence of optical and wireless networks. This is where Corning is helping to make the smart cities of the future a reality, today.

“You’re going to have to have connectivity coming to places where it’s not common today,” Corning Optical Communications employee, Dr. Claudio Mazzali, said. “In train stations, in major transportation hubs – all those places.”

The same Corning networks that connect businesses, homes, and people around the globe also support the development of smart cities.  Optical fiber, which is the building block of these networks, is a highly transparent strand of glass that transmits light signals with low attenuation (loss of signal power) over long distances, providing nearly limitless bandwidth. This is the technology that enables telecommunications service providers to send voice, data, and video at ever-increasing speed.

And, we are speeding up more than just connections. Our optical solutions continue to evolve around the needs of cities as they connect more buildings, vehicles, appliances, and devices. This isn’t always easy. “At some point you’re going to have to bring that fiber into places that are very difficult to get into,” Mazzali said.

This is where our fiber products make a difference, allowing rapid installation while providing the ability to meet major data demand. Learn more about Corning’s fiber portfolio, here.