Hot Topic at the Two Sessions: Smart Pole Opportunities in the "New Infrastructure" Boom

On May 22, the Government Work Report stated, "We must strengthen the construction of new infrastructure, develop next-generation information networks, expand 5G applications, build charging piles, promote new energy vehicles, stimulate new consumption demand, and support industrial upgrading."

This also marks the first time that "new infrastructure," a highly anticipated initiative, has been included in the Government Work Report. Following the official clarification of its scope, it has been formally elevated to the level of national strategy.

Since the beginning of this year, new infrastructure has been frequently mentioned in government policies as an important measure to stabilize the economy. On April 20, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) clarified the scope of new-type infrastructure for the first time.

The National Development and Reform Commission stated that new infrastructure mainly includes three aspects: first, information infrastructure. This primarily refers to infrastructure evolved from new-generation information technology, such as communication network infrastructure represented by 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), industrial internet, and satellite internet; new technology infrastructure represented by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain; and computing power infrastructure represented by data centers and intelligent computing centers.

Second is converged infrastructure. This mainly refers to the deep application of technologies such as the Internet, big data, and artificial intelligence to support the transformation and upgrading of traditional infrastructure, thereby forming converged infrastructure, such as intelligent transportation infrastructure and smart energy infrastructure.

Third, innovation infrastructure. This mainly refers to public-interest infrastructure that supports scientific research, technological development, and product R&D, such as major scientific and technological infrastructure, science and education infrastructure, and industrial technology innovation infrastructure.

During this year's "Two Sessions," "New Infrastructure" became a keyword in proposals, with 5G, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy also being high-frequency terms. In the layout of New Infrastructure, 5G takes the lead. Currently, there is a consensus on the seven major fields of New Infrastructure, including 5G infrastructure, ultra-high voltage transmission, intercity high-speed railways and intercity rail transit, new energy vehicle charging piles, big data centers, artificial intelligence, and the industrial internet. Among these, 5G and related information network technologies occupy four positions in New Infrastructure, prompting many regions to accelerate the construction of 5G base stations.

Miao Xu, Minister of Industry and Information Technology of China, revealed on the 25th at the "Ministerial Corridor" of the second plenary session that since the beginning of this year, China has accelerated its 5G construction, with more than 10,000 new 5G base stations being added every week.

Miao Wei stated that due to the pandemic, China's 5G construction in January, February, and even March of this year may be somewhat affected. However, enterprises are still striving to increase their efforts to make up for lost time.

Smart street light poles are the natural carriers for 5G micro base stations. Meanwhile, as a new generation of urban information infrastructure integrating multiple modules such as WiFi wireless networks, video surveillance, environmental protection monitoring, and advertising screens, they also serve as the most convenient carriers for charging piles (another major area of new infrastructure). They can collect, publish, and transmit data and information across multiple industries including lighting, public security, municipal administration, meteorology, environmental protection, and communications. At the same time, as an important component of Internet of Vehicles construction, cloud-network construction, and communication network construction in the 5G era, smart street light poles will be widely applied. Therefore, "smart street light poles/multi-functional intelligent poles" are considered a gold mine yet to be fully exploited in the era of new infrastructure.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that during the pandemic, the comprehensive prevention and control capabilities of smart streetlights in cities have attracted widespread attention. In this regard, Sun Taili, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of Tianjin Qingda Investment Group Co., Ltd., stated in an exclusive interview with reporters: "In the face of the sudden outbreak, the people across the country united as one, contributing their strength in their respective fields to the battle against epidemic prevention and control. Among these efforts, smart streetlights also played their part by emitting their own light and heat."

Sun Taili introduced that after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, some regions quickly updated the content displayed on smart light pole screens, fully leveraging the promotional advantages of smart light poles to assist local governments in epidemic prevention and policy publicity. By utilizing the information release system of smart light poles, LED screens were used to scroll real-time epidemic prevention information and control requirements, while the remote broadcasting system continuously broadcast slogans such as "wear masks, wash hands frequently, stay home, and avoid gatherings" 24 hours a day. Through real-time video surveillance, timely voice reminders were issued to individuals wandering the streets without masks, achieving excellent promotional results.

According to Sun Taili's forecast, the upcoming 5G and smart city initiatives will help achieve better urban management, especially during major public health emergencies, with the potential to mitigate negative impacts across various sectors. Additionally, smart light poles will serve as excellent access points for big data collection, contributing to timely information dissemination and improving the quality and efficiency of public services.

In summary, upgrading from scattered roadside poles to a "smart pole" construction model that hosts communication base stations and various sensors aligns with the "New Infrastructure" development strategy. Since most traditional street lights cannot meet the load-bearing, power supply, and transmission requirements for mounting 5G equipment, a massive number of street lights will need to be retrofitted or newly installed in the future, which is also a very large-scale project.

On the 26th (this afternoon) from 14:00 to 15:00, the Dean of the Design and Research Institute of China Construction Lighting Co., Ltd. will deliver an online presentation on Ming Classroom titled "Design and Construction of Multi-functional Smart Poles." Key topics include system planning and design, construction and installation, as well as testing and acceptance of smart poles. Please long-press the QR code below to watch the live broadcast on time.

China Construction Lighting Co., Ltd. is a professional subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), a large central state-owned construction enterprise ranked 21st in the Fortune Global 500 and No. 1 worldwide in building investment and construction scale. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Construction Decoration Group, it is a national-level "Class A" enterprise specializing in professional lighting engineering.

Sources: Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, etc.

Compiled and edited by China Light Network.