When you think of a smart city you probably imagine something out of a science fiction movie. Of all those stories in which objects have a mechanism and come by themselves to meet you, doors and windows that open with sensors, or an intelligent operating system that responds to each and every one of your concerns.
If you have thought about that, you are both right and wrong. Yes, there is a smart city concept that is based on these types of characteristics. In fact, that’s your first conception. A smart city in this sense is an urban area that uses different electronic methods and sensors to collect data.
It is a framework, predominantly composed of information and communication technologies (ICT), to develop, implement, and promote sustainable development practices that address the growing challenges of urbanization.
A large part of this framework is an intelligent network of connected objects and machines, transmitting data using wireless technology and the cloud. Cities of this nature are already underway in places like Amsterdam or Barcelona.
But, more relevant for the Central American region is the second variant of smart city, above all because of its potential to boost economic growth.
A smart city within reach of the region
Words like Silicon Valley or Cambridge Cluster, are today world famous. The second variant of smart cities has to do precisely with those concepts. Silicon Valley is a region in the San Francisco Bay area that stands out for the number of tech companies that started and are based there, including some of the Big Tech: Apple, Google, Facebook, and Netflix.
This type of smart city consists of a global center for technological innovation. Silicon Valley as a phrase refers to the industry and companies that call it home, as well as an innovative mindset, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a lifestyle centered on technology-based wealth.
Central America has already emulated this concept, which has attracted business and investment to the region. This successful example has been thanks to GK with its Altia Smart City projects in the cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. They have been the pioneers in attracting the BPO and ITO industry to Honduras, one that has created more than 10,000 jobs within their two projects.
Given the focus on sustainable business operations, there is nothing like it in other parts of Latin America, even in well-known BPO centers like Colombia.
At a global time when COVID-19 implemented a new work model based on working from home, vaccines and the advancement of vaccination campaigns in many Central American countries are making it possible to return to work activities. Smart cities are a great motivation for this return, since they are based on the proximity of the operations of different companies that share data and technology.
A dedicated approach to the BPO and ITO industry enables Altia Smart City to manage customer business disruptions as well, a source of continuity in what has proven to be a tumultuous period since the COVID-19 outbreak.
The goal of a smart city is clear: to turn a specific area of the city’s urban centers into a business campus and residential outpost for young people interested in technology development. In addition to being a suitable space for investment in this type of industry.
The benefits of such a space, compared to a traditional building disconnected from a network of similar companies in any artery of the city are: having a modern world-class real estate infrastructure, reliable energy sources, efficient connectivity, and competitive labor costs.
These types of cities are the future of our countries and could constitute our entry into the first world hand in hand with technology.