IT giants set eyes on Smart City market

Indore: Opportunities in the Smart City project have compelled leading IT giants to set up separate verticals for providing IT-enabled solutions and make extra efforts to grab attention of municipal corporations for tie-ups. Array of development initiatives listed in Smart City plans require IT solutions at all stages - planning, implementation and operation.
"All major companies have been 'verticalized' in last few decades to meet newer market demands. IT companies within India are increasingly focusing on e-governance to provide IT consultancy to governments in sectors such as health, education and transport," said Manjit Bose, senior director at NASSCOM.
For companies, Smart City is a 'strategic investment' and providing hardware and software solutions is an integrated part of their investment.
"It is like demand and supply arrangement- if government has a problem, companies are ready with the solutions," said Bose.
Not only IT giants, even start-ups are trying to get a slice of the pie.
Avinish Sharma of Syscraft, which featured in the list of companies in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia-Pacific, said that various companies have been working on developing apps that can give details of traffic flow. Sharma said that his company's apps could give users complete detail of public transport, bus schedule and other details related to traffic problems on major city lanes.
Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) commissioner Manish Singh, who is organizing a mega-Smart City launch in Indore, said leading international companies like Bosch, LG and Hitachi have offered their ideas on urban and smart transportation and public safety. Companies like Infosys, TCS and Wipro are also working on smart technological solutions for urban problems of major Indian cities.
"LG has worked extensively in countries such as South Korea in building technical infrastructure for e-mobility and safe transport," Singh said.
The galaxy of opportunities has emboldened the companies to apply for financial bids invited by several municipal corporations. The corporations have been seeking to rope in IT companies in areas such as hydraulic modeling of water pipe lines in order to stop the overflowing of overhead tanks. IT firms will also help civic body get internet-enabled classrooms, eco-friendly structures and smart street light system.