Jan 8 2016
Deloitte today announced a strategic alliance agreement with AT&T aimed at accelerating the adoption of smart city technology across U.S. cities. The telco and global management consultancy, along with several other hand-picked alliance members, strive to enhance livability and improve the efficiencies of local governments through optimal use of today's technology.
"Substantial attention has been paid internationally to how new technological innovations can be used to solve the problem of modern cities. The combination of AT&T's mobility and cloud networking solutions seamlessly enable almost every aspect of the smart city vision," said John Levis, principal, technology, media and telecommunications practice, Deloitte Consulting LLP. "The company is helping to lead the future vision and pull together the most experienced and innovative companies to bring smart city benefits to fruition. We are honored to be part of this elite group."
Alerting commuters on their mobile phone that their normal route home is delayed, reducing energy use in public buildings with sensing technologies, and networking homebound elderly to medical professionals are just a few of the ways technology is helping to make communities more livable, energy efficient and healthier. The behind-the-scene knowledge and infrastructure needed to enable these capabilities require a well-orchestrated team of collaborators, understanding of the citizens' aspirations, in-depth knowledge of the city, and familiarity with its leaders.
Deloitte brings experience delivering smart city services globally. Cities on the U.S. - Mexican border; in Europe such as Prague, Barcelona and Valencia; in South America such as Buenos Aires; and several in Asia are benefiting from the consulting services and technological acumen that Deloitte brings to this alliance. Based on capability and strategy, IDC MarketScape named the global consultancy a worldwide leader in smart cities consulting services in August 2015.
"Deloitte's global leadership in smart city deployments helps us accelerate the rate of change in communities across the U.S.," said Mike Zeto, general manager of Smart Cities, AT&T IoT Solutions. "They offer the strategy, design, development, implementation and program management services that help shape the team of companies needed to build smarter cities."
In the U.S., Deloitte is well-networked for success. There is an office in every major city and local consultants are intimately familiar with the transportation, energy, medical, financial and political institutions of that city. This in-depth knowledge gives Deloitte a jump-start on understanding where the biggest impacts can be made in the shortest amount of time and building consensus with community stakeholders.
This week at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Deloitte is showcasing its experience in the Internet of Things (IoT) with participation in eight panel sessions including: Innovation in mobility, emerging transportation business models and mitigating risk in the IoT, which are all aspects of smart cities.