Founding President Bernard Têtu argues that the smart city market can feel overwhelming to navigate because it spans so many different industries. To help cities make sense of the options, he sorts vendors into five broad categories: hardware suppliers making physical infrastructure such as luminaires, poles, or parking meters; controls and sensors suppliers building smart-enabling devices across sectors like energy, pollution, water, traffic, and parking; software vendors and integrators, often originating from IT, that provide remote control, monitoring, and analytics tools; network connectivity vendors, typically telecommunications companies or equipment suppliers; and all-in-one system suppliers that bundle hardware, controls, software, and connectivity together.
Têtu notes that few all-in-one offerings can manage “multiple networks or multiple device manufacturers using one single user interface,” which is why partnerships between vendors are common, citing analyst firm IDC’s observation that such collaboration is often required for full connectivity management. He argues that cities evaluating proposals should look past a single vendor’s current product list and consider how well a system can integrate outside components over time.
The article’s central recommendation is that cities adopt a layered IoT architecture from the outset, one that leaves room for third-party sensors, networks, and future system additions. Given how quickly the underlying technology continues to diversify, Têtu positions this openness as the best way to protect a city’s investment against obsolescence.