Ericsson has demonstrated its innovative connected bus stop at the UITP Milan congress, the world's biggest public transport event.It incorporates 3G, LTE or wifi small-cell technology which the company says will support commuter-specific functionality such as real-time bus movement,s interactive maps, local news and tourist information.  It will also provide public transport operators with an additional source of revenue as it can be leased to telecom operators as a means of densifying their networks.

The company says this is necessary because, in dense urban environments such as shopping, business, entertainment and financial districts, capacity is often stretched to the limit and many networks can't consistently deliver high downlink speeds.  It says the connected bus stop alleviates this problem by creating a separate small cell access network that is integrated with telecom operators' transmission networks.  Ericsson provides the technology and associated services in a partnership with transport operators and local telecom network operators.

Orvar Hurtig, Head of Industry & Society at Ericsson, says, "Ericsson delivers and operates ICT infrastructure and services for road, rail and public transport based on our leading portfolio of telecommunications solutions and services. At UITP, we are demonstrating both concepts and commercial offerings that have the potential to improve public transport for both operators and end users."