Jerusalem will be Israel’s first city to receive the Communications Ministry’s approval to set up an independent wireless communications network utilizing cutting-edge millimeter wave technology. Millimeter wave spectrum is the band of spectrum between 30 GHz and 300 GHz that can be used for high-speed wireless communications. It is being considered by standards organization, the Federal Communications Commission and researchers as the way to bring 5G into the future by allocating more bandwidth to deliver faster, higher-quality video, and multimedia content and services.
“Implementing the new technology in the city is an advanced solution to the problem of optic fiber installation that stems from the special geological structure of Jerusalem, as compared to many cities around the world,” stated Eitan Barzilay, chief innovation officer at Jerusalem’s Economic and Technological Business Development Administration. “The Jerusalem Municipality is adopting an innovative technology that has proven itself around the world to build a communication infrastructure for a smart and safe city. This advanced communication network is the first of its kind in the world to transmit high-quality videos to the city control center and to security forces.”
The new technology will feature a camera network, monitoring and emergency services, smart-parking solutions, fast Internet for the city’s education system, free WiFi service throughout the capital and transmission of data communication at especially high speeds.
The new communications network by the end of 2017.
“We are placing Jerusalem in line with the world’s leading smart cities,” said Mayor Nir Barkat. “From one of the oldest cities in the world, we are sending the most innovative news in the country, and the innovative technology we will establish in Jerusalem will enable us to upgrade many services.”