Press Release – Paris France & Paros, Greece – Nov 8, 2023
In a groundbreaking partnership, Actility, a global leader in low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT), and Cicicom, a leading Greek ICT company, have come together to transform Paros, Greece into Europe’s first smart island. The duo has introduced an all-encompassing LoRaWAN IoT network, redefining the relationship between cities and its citizens through advanced technological solutions, primarily focused on making urban mobility a breeze.
Taking an ambitious leap, Paros Island now boasts its own autonomous LoRaWAN network, connecting all digital devices for ongoing and future smart city projects. This robust digital infrastructure, backed by Actility’s ThingPark Enterprise, provides real-time, invaluable data directly to its citizens . From available parking spots to home water consumption and ambient metrics like temperature and air quality, Paros plans on standing at the forefront of digital transformation.
ThingPark Enterprise is a LoRaWAN IoT connectivity management platform that helps customers build network infrastructure by managing LoRaWAN gateways, add new LoRaWAN devices, and monitor network operations. Ensuring secure connectivity, it facilitates efficient data management from sensors to cloud applications and offers unparalleled modularity and scalability. As Paros embarks on this journey, it leans on ThingPark’s promise of seamless digital integration, marking the beginning of improved communication with its citizens and visitors.
Pictures: Citizen app and parking lot with visible sensor
The first task tackled in this smart city transformation was one of urban mobility’s significant challenges: parking. The questions were direct – how can parking become a hassle-free experience? How can parking spots be effectively monitored in real-time?
The solution? Cicicom’s Smart Parking. Kickstarting with 150 parking sensors around the port, the vision is expansive, with plans to incorporate more utilities, thanks to the LoRaWAN network. A key component, Cicicom’s parking sensor S-LG-I3, is a European marvel, boasting a 99% detection rate, a prolonged battery lifespan, and the ability to identify the parked vehicle via identification tags.
These smart devices are available on ThingPark Market and have gained traction across Europe and the Middle East, with plans for expansion into the U.S. market.
Cicicom takes pride in being the only Greek company within the LoRa Alliance that produces fully certified products and offers an end-to-end parking solution for municipalities.
Pictures: Municipality app
The manifold benefits of this system include streamlining the parking process with real-time information on availability and navigation, alleviating traffic congestion, promoting environmental sustainability by decreasing vehicle emissions, effective management of special use parking areas, harnessing real-time parking data for strategic municipal decisions, enhancing traffic law efficiency, and cutting down administrative costs for the municipality.
Cicicom’s innovative solution has been widely recognized. They secured a top three position at the IoT World Congress Barcelona 2022, earned the 2023 IoT Evolution LPWAN Excellence Award, received the Smart Cities Awards 2023, and were also honored in the IoT Awards 2023. These accolades highlight Cicicom’s impactful presence in the IoT domain.
« I feel immense pleasure to endorse Cicicom for their revolutionary Smart Parking solution, powered by Lorawan technology. This collaboration will catapult Paros into the forefront of smart cities globally. With real-time parking details made readily available, our traffic management will improve significantly and our endeavors for environmental sustainability will achieve a new benchmark. This solution will streamline parking, thus enhancing overall user experience while reducing congestion. Our strategic partnership with Cicicom, an IoT industry leader, is indeed reflective of our commitment to making Paros a city that is prosperous in every aspect. »
Samios Thanasis, Paros Deputy Mayor
« Cicicom, in collaboration with Actility, our esteemed network partner, has pioneered transformative changes in urban mobility with our Smart Parking solution. The combination of impeccable detection rates and reliability is a testament to European engineering. With its awarded solution, Cicicom demonstrates the endless possibilities within IoT sector utilizing the power of Lorawan technology. Our project of converting Paros into a smart island, with seamless integrations and efficient solutions, is a striking example of the vision we endorse. Together with Actility, we aim for smarter, more sustainable cities, continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with IoT. »
Dr.-Ing. Nikolaos Bissias, CEO of Cicicom
« Partnering with Cicicom to transform Paros showcases the future of IoT in reshaping communities. It’s more than just smart solutions; it’s about enriching the lives of residents and visitors. As we advance with LoRaWAN technology, Paros sets the gold standard for European digital transformation. »
Olivier Hersent, CEO of Actility
Cicicom is the only Greek company member of LoRa Alliance that designs and manufactures fully certified parking sensors according to the international standards. Its S-LG-I3 parking sensor is a European marvel, being the only LoRa Alliance certified parking sensor featuring triple detection technology.
Cicicom offers complete innovative solutions such as Smart Parking, Parking Violation Monitoring, Smart Smart Cities etc and has projects in more than 13 European countries, with plans for expansion to the Middle East and USA markets. Its strategy revolves around solutions that address modern issues while investing in R&D for new solutions and continuing to enhance existing ones. With its extensive expertise in IoT technology and a proven track record of success, Cicicom stands as the ideal partner for businesses of all sizes seeking to harness the potential of IoT.
For more information visit https://cicicom.gr/pages/contact/
Actility is the world leader in low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) industrial-grade connectivity solutions for the Internet of Things. Actility provides its ThingPark™ platform and network technology to deploy, operate and maintain public and private wireless IoT networks within a unified, scalable and versatile network infrastructure. The vast majority of nationwide LoRaWAN® network service providers (over 50) and hundreds of enterprises trust ThingPark™ all over the world. Through its subsidiary Abeeway, Actility also provides patented ultra-low power tracking solutions. ThingPark Market offers the largest selection of interoperable IoT gateways, devices and applications to simplify and accelerate deployment of numerous use cases.
For more information, visit www.actility.com/contact.
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