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How GCC telecom operators can enable safe cities

Governments around the world are paying close attention to problems associated with modernisation and urbanisation, such as rising crime. This is a particular challenge for the GCC, which has urbanisation rates of over 80 per cent - some of the highest in the world. Responding to public concern, local and national governments have made the battle against crime a top priority, promoting the concept of the safe city. Technology has a crucial role in any such campaign, with telecom operators ideally positioned to offer governments all the help they need.
However, for the safe city concept to be successful, governments must get a number of things right - not just technology, but also processes, skills, and regulations. Examples of key processes are the appropriate allocation of security resources and clear crime reporting procedures. Necessary skills include cutting edge investigative capabilities and crowd management techniques, while the regulatory framework must always support the focus on safety and security.
Meanwhile, technology provides the essential backbone for the safe city, in five different ways. Telecom companies can use their resources and unique capabilities to great effect in developing and integrating all these five foundations of the technology agenda.
The first foundation is sensing. This entails monitoring and detecting threats through the provision of equipment such as closed-circuit television, sensors that monitor pollution or infrastructure, gunshot sensors to detect and locate weapon fire, and street lighting, which adapts to changes in daylight or weather to ensure constant high visibility.
The second foundation is dependable communications. Response teams must be able to convey messages to each other at all times, a critical capability in emergencies, and coordinate operations effectively. Dedicated broadband communication networks, known as "mission critical," facilitate instant group communications with the necessarily high degree of reliability, availability, and security. Large amounts of essential data can also be transmitted through these networks. A secure infrastructure that permits extensive broadband coverage and high-speed data is essential.
The third foundation is adequate capacity for data storage, which is indispensable in the fight against crime. Material such as video footage, crime reports and a biometric database need to be stored securely on the cloud or on the relevant premises, with remote back-up and disaster recovery plans in place.
The fourth foundation is the availability of enabling platforms. These collect and analyse data from multiple sources, and generate the resulting reports in clearly intelligible format on dashboards and applications. Platforms may include video analytics, which identify and classify content, such as face recognition and vehicle number plates, or mobile applications on which citizens can report crimes to the authorities.
The fifth foundation involves a command and control center, with a centralised unit responsible for handling calls from the public. The center makes the necessary decisions, and then dispatches and coordinates the relevant emergency teams.
Telecom companies can take the lead in launching and operating these technology dimensions of the safe city concept. This is for various reasons. They have the relevant capabilities, such as cloud hosting for video data and the connectivity allowing information from sensors to be sent through to the command and control center. They already possess the physical infrastructure network for installing components such as sensors, and the network coverage that facilitates smooth communication across the city.
Moreover, telecom companies already have a great deal of relevant experience in working closely with governments, such as providing essential services relating to defense and security. Given telecom companies' capabilities across the five dimensions, governments would have the benefit of one single point of contact for expanding and supporting all the technological aspects of the safe city agenda, and building an end-to-end safe city concept.
Beyond technology and infrastructure, telecom operators can provide other vital resources. For example, as well as the requisite technical expertise, they have the necessary commercial and administration skills to manage the safe city project from beginning to end, perhaps in partnership with other entities.
Telecom operators also have significant financial strength, providing the capacity to invest alongside strategic partners in key technological components to meet relevant needs. Moreover, they can administer new business models together with the city authorities. For example, they can offer co-investments, revenue sharing, and conversion models for capital and operational expenditure.
Of course, successful safe city projects will generate tangible benefits beyond reducing crime. A safe city helps with other public policies, such as by enhancing the response time for public safety agencies, such as healthcare providers. A safe city also produces large volumes of data that improve the quality of evidence used in deciding policies and service provision. Moreover, a safe city helps to organize, coordinate, and integrate the work of public and private stakeholders at the local, regional, and national levels.
Throughout the world, governments are striving to ensure that rapid development does not come at the expense of security and safety in their increasingly crowded cities. By working closely with telecom operators, which have all the attributes to play a pivotal role in this important undertaking, governments can help build safer, more sustainable societies.
Ramzi Khoury and Imad Atwi are principals with Strategy& Middle East. Views expressed are their own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.