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Lithuanian City Kaunas Leverages IoT and LoRa for Smart City Transformation
Technology Category
- Networks & Connectivity - Gateways
- Networks & Connectivity - LoRa
Applicable Industries
- Buildings
- Cities & Municipalities
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Smart City Operations
- Water Utility Management
Services
- System Integration
- Testing & Certification
The Challenge
Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania, is strategically located in the center of Europe, making it a crucial hub for logistics, economic processes, and innovation flows. Despite its small population of around 400,000, the city's location makes it significant for all of Europe. However, Kaunas faces several challenges. It has a growing elderly population, a deteriorating infrastructure, and a rapid increase in car numbers. Environmental issues such as global warming, air pollution, and water supply are also pressing concerns. The city's heating system, which serves nearly 90% of residents, faces problems with uninterrupted water supply and power consumption. Kauno energija, a company that has been operating in Lithuania since 1963, has been instrumental in improving community services and contributing to cost savings from the city budget. However, the need to integrate an IoT network to address these challenges is evident.
The Customer
Kauno energija
About The Customer
Kauno energija is a company that operates in Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city. The company plays a significant role in the country's logistics, economic processes, and innovation flows. Kauno energija has been operating in Lithuania since 1963 and has contributed significantly to improving community services, saving costs from the city budget, and contributing to the creation of cost-effective smart city buildings. The company supplies green heat and hot water to 120,000 inhabitants and about 3,500 commercial buildings. It also manages 410 kilometers of the city’s centrally supplied heat network.
The Solution
Kauno energija decided to integrate the LoRaWAN® technology across the city to unify data collection systems and deploy the Internet of Things widely. The company conducted thorough research and found numerous benefits that LoRaWAN® networks can bring to smart infrastructure and city services in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. LoRa technology has a wide range of applications, including remote sensing and analysis of various parameters of heat, hot water, and thermal networks. The company chose the TEKTELIC KONA Macro IoT Gateway, an ideal solution for operators and enterprises that need to cover large areas with the LoRaWAN® network. The gateway operates at a low cost and has low power consumption, making it perfect for companies contributing to the creation of smart cities. The company is also planning to extend the smart city technology to other municipal utilities of Kaunas City, improving waste management, reducing air pollution, and improving the management of street lights.
Operational Impact
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