The next generation of street lighting will be connected. Cities all over the world are already experimenting with intelligent lighting systems that can be controlled remotely. They lower municipal electricity costs, enable demand-driven lighting, and reduce CO2emissions. Current designs are even taking that a step further: Experts see networked lamps as nodes in multifunctional communications networks for the "smart city."

Up until now, turning night into day and illuminating the dark has been the main task of street lighting. In the future, however, street lamps will fulfill many more functions. They will notify the garbage collection service whenever neighborhood waste bins must be emptied, or register a change in traffic volume and feed that data into an intelligent transport system (ITS). Street lighting will no longer be an isolated sphere but part of a networked urban infrastructure.

The basis of this vision is the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) and the associated concept of the smart city. Every conceivable object and location will be connected: cars, cargo containers, street lights, and car parks — even wristwatches, eyeglasses, and pens. They will each measure various parameters in their environment and digitize everyday challenges such as finding a parking space. At the center of this change is machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, the automatic exchange of data between networked devices either with each other or with a control center.

The public sector already recognizes the opportunities inherent in a higher degree of cross-linking. Smart city solutions are regarded as key in reducing energy and maintenance costs, complying with the legal requirements of climate protection and providing better services to citizens. Intelligent street lighting plays a central role in this. In fact, in many cities, defective lamps account for roughly 20% of all citizen complaints, and intelligent systems can automate the repair process. In combination with LEDs, a programmable light management system reduces urban electricity costs up to 70%.