Nokia's new blockchain-powered IoT service can detect illegal construction

Finnish telecommunications firm Nokia has launched a couple of internet of things-based (IoT) services aimed at addressing the needs of smart cities, where technology is the primary infrastructure used to facilitate sustainable living. 

Nokia said in a statement that its IoT for Smart Cities framework can efficiently deliver and manage smart city services such as video surveillance, lighting, parking, waste management, and environmental sensing.

The platform enables cross-application data sharing, analytics and automation.

The other service, Sensing as a Service, is expected to provide real-time environmental data and intelligent analytics that operators can sell to cities and other authorities.

The service will be powered by blockchain to boost privacy and security.

Nokia said that operators can utilize existing base station sites, with the company deploying sensors and integrating all available site equipment into an IoT real-time monitoring platform. 

"Sensing as a Service enables possibilities to detect unusual environmental behaviour like illegal construction, trash burning or unusual particles in the air," the company said.

Nokia also launched S-MVNO (Secure Mobile Virtual Network Operator) for Public Safety, which enables operators to leverage their commercial LTE networks to offer mission-critical broadband services to public safety agencies, and thus generate new revenue streams.

"Cities need to become digital in order to efficiently deliver services to their habitants," said Asad Rizvi, head of global services business development at Nokia. "Smart infrastructure, which is shared, secure, and scalable, is needed to ensure urban assets and data are efficiently used."

Nokia has also been testing blockchain technology in healthcare. 

Last November, Nokia and Helsinki-headquartered OP Financial Group started a pilot to explore new opportunities in digital health, with the aim of giving people more control over their personal health data – how it is shared, who can access it, and how it can be used – with a focus on privacy and security offered by blockchain technologies.