Edinburgh opts for Telensa’s wireless streetlight controls

The company was selected by CGI Group, in an LED replacement contract run by Amey. The deployment is already underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Telensa’s wireless central management system (CMS), Telensa PLANet enables centralised control of the city’s lighting. It consists of wireless nodes that use Telensa UNB (ultra-narrow band), the company’s own low power wide area (LPWA) technology running on licence-exempt spectrum, to connect individual lights, and a central management application.

PLANet provides real-time monitoring to identify and track faults, which is expected to cut the number of residents' complaints about broken street lights and remove the need for street lighting staff to undertake night-time patrols to identify faulty lights. It also measures actual energy consumption, submitting information directly to the meter administrator and increasing the accuracy of energy billing.

Telensa states that the system will pay for itself in reduced energy and maintenance costs, improves quality of service, and enables streetlight poles to act as hubs for smart city sensors. The company has connected more than 1.5 million lights to date. The company is based in Cambridge and manufactures with Sony UK Tech at Pencoed in Wales. It is a founding member of ETSI’s City Digital Profile (CDP) accelerating the delivery of integrated citizen services and provide a technology road map for city leaders who will benefit from standardized solutions from their suppliers.