How Does AT&T Look at Smart Cities Market? It’s About Mindset

Dallas-based AT&T is switching up the way it defines itself to better catch a piece of the smart cities market.

smart cities

smart cities$1.5 trillion.

That’s how much business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan says the global smart cities market could be worth by 2020. 

Dallas is just one of many cities in the nation investing in tech-infused community upgrades to bring more efficiency and sustainability. Just Monday, the Dallas Innovation Alliance unveiled the first phase in its Smart Cities Living Lab in the city’s West End. Smart LED light bulbs doubling as data collectors, sensors that can monitor real-time air quality, and an interactive kiosk were all part of the features debuted. 

But, what kind of impact does this drive to install smart features have on companies such as Dallas-based AT&T?

Michael Zeto III, general manager and executive director for AT&T Smart Cities, told the Dallas Business Journal‘s Shawn Shinneman that it’s changing the way the company defines itself. It’s not just a connectivity provider anymore. With that mindset change, it can gain a bigger piece of the smart cities market, Zeto said. 

“We can capture more of that value chain than we could have four years ago because we’ve had an internal skills pivot, and changed our strategy to become more innovative and become more of a software company. That allows us to go different places with this,” Zeto told the DBJ.


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