Telus is working with Google Cloud and NXN Digital to make Canadian cities safer, greener and smarter.

The Canadian telco is partnering Google Cloud and NXN Digital to deliver sustainable, efficient, secure and innovative IoT technologies that will empower businesses, communities and their residents through an ecosystem of people-first services. This alignment is combining the strength and speed of Telus’ networks with Google Cloud’s infrastructure and data analytics, and NXN Digital’s smart-city-as-a-service platform, to enable cities and districts of any size to improve the lives of their citizens.

From dynamic traffic signalling that reduces congestion and emissions, to data analytics that create smarter, more efficient city planning, the three organisations aim to transform the way municipalities operate in an increasingly digital world.

“We are celebrating the one-year anniversary of our ten-year partnership with Google Cloud as well as our strategic collaboration with NXN Digital by accelerating our commitment to Canadian cities and empowering them with the next-generation infrastructure and smart city technologies they need to optimise operations, improve resident safety, reduce costs and create a more sustainable, healthier future,” said Tony Geheran, executive vice-president at Telus. “By leveraging our strategic partnerships along with the blazing speed, reliability and lower latency of our global-leading 5G network, we are creating remarkable outcomes for Canadians.”

Combining the strength of Google Cloud and NXN’s digital-twin technology lets Telus deliver smart services through a seamless, end-to-end experience, ensuring interoperability between IoT sensors, management platform and cloud infrastructure, all powered by Telus connectivity.

“We are building on our strategic alliance with Telus to help create more sustainable and efficient cities by leveraging scalability, reliability and intelligence of our cloud,” said Amol Phadke, managing director for the telecoms industry at Google Cloud. “We look forward to continuing our co-innovation journey with Telus and to supporting the digital transformation of Canadian cities through data, 5G and multi-access edge computing.”

Ghazi Atallah, CEO of NXN Digital, added: “We are proud to partner with Telus to provide data intelligence, geospatial information and digital-twin capabilities through leading cloud and network infrastructure allowing municipalities to make better, more informed decisions. Our smart digital services integration and delivery platform provide the agility districts, municipalities and urban centres need to rapidly adopt future technologies and break down data silos through one cohesive platform that seamlessly connects all systems, IoT technologies and data sources together. Our hub of innovation is actively building the cities of the future, improving their efficiency, competitiveness and quality of life.”

And Navin Arora, president of Telus Business, said: “Our smart city solutions and award-winning networks are transforming the way municipalities operate, enabling them to make impactful data-driven decisions, save energy, improve emergency response times and safety in the community, or monitor traffic for operational efficiency. By partnering with proven leaders, we’re excited to expand the capabilities of our technology in urban and rural communities through projects that make communities and businesses more efficient, productive and safe.”

Telus smart city offerings fall within four foundational pillars:

• Infrastructure and environmental sustainability: Enhancing the way a municipality operates improves quality of life for citizens and contributes to municipalities’ sustainability goals. These include connected lighting, energy management, environmental monitoring, road quality management and smart waste.
• Intelligent transportation: Sensors, cameras and other devices that are built into or near roads, sidewalks and bike paths, provide data for software to improve traffic flow in real time. These data also help inform decisions around infrastructure and city planning, fleet optimisation and economic drivers such as tourism hot spots.
• Public safety and security: Smart city services that contribute to public safety and security include video systems that provide not only on-premise security, but video and data analytics. Crucially, these systems aid in emergency response and event management, allowing for faster response times and better public safety outcomes. These include mission critical communications and connected worker technology that improves the safety of remote and hybrid workers.
• Health: Smart devices and virtual healthcare reduce the burden on health systems by enabling seamless processes and execution, making healthcare more accessible and empowering health professionals with tools that let them focus on caring for patients. For example, wearables can connect emergency medical technicians with physicians through a secure network as if they were in the ambulance in person.

Telus makes $16bn in annual revenue and has 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security.