AI and IoT Light Up the Future of Global Smart Cities

SAN JOSE, CA – March 17, 2026 – A landmark collaboration is set to redefine the urban landscape, transforming the humble streetlight into a powerful node in a global intelligent network. LEOTEK, a provider of traffic and lighting infrastructure, has announced a strategic partnership with IoT software and connectivity firm 1NCE and its Asia-Pacific sales partner, SoftBank Corp. The alliance aims to accelerate the worldwide deployment of LEOTEK's AI-powered LEOLink Intelligent Lighting System (ILS), promising to usher in a new era of safer, more efficient, and sustainable cities.

The partnership merges LEOTEK’s advanced hardware and AI analytics with 1NCE’s expansive global IoT connectivity platform, creating a turnkey solution for municipalities looking to modernize their aging infrastructure. This move comes at a critical time, as the global smart lighting market is projected to surge from approximately $19 billion in 2024 to over $77 billion by 2033, reflecting a massive global push toward smarter, data-driven urban management.

The Technology Behind the Transformation

At the heart of the collaboration is the fusion of distinct but complementary technologies. LEOTEK's LEOLink system is more than just an energy-efficient LED lamp; it's an intelligent platform equipped with sensors and powered by artificial intelligence. This enables streetlights to do more than just illuminate streets—they can monitor their own performance, detect malfunctions, and adjust brightness based on real-time conditions, such as traffic flow or pedestrian activity.

This intelligence is unlocked by the constant flow of data, which is where 1NCE's role becomes critical. The company provides the underlying software and connectivity fabric, a global IoT network spanning over 170 countries. This allows data from every single streetlight—whether in Fort Wayne, Indiana, or a future deployment in Tokyo—to be transmitted securely and reliably to a central management platform. This eliminates the complex and often costly process of patching together different regional network providers, a major hurdle for large-scale smart city projects.

"The future of urban infrastructure depends on real-time connectivity and intelligent system management," said Torrent Chin, President and Chief Sustainability Officer of LEOTEK, in a statement. "By working with 1NCE and SoftBank, we aim to accelerate the global deployment of intelligent lighting networks that enhance urban safety, operational efficiency and energy performance." This integration allows for predictive maintenance, where a failing light can signal for repair before it goes dark, and provides city planners with invaluable analytics on urban activity.

A Global Network for Smarter Urban Ecosystems

The partnership's three-pronged structure—hardware intelligence from LEOTEK, global connectivity from 1NCE, and market access through SoftBank—is strategically designed for rapid global scaling. SoftBank's role as 1NCE's exclusive sales partner in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is particularly significant. The APAC market is the fastest-growing region for smart city technology, driven by rapid urbanization and ambitious government initiatives in countries like China, India, and Japan. SoftBank's established presence and market expertise provide a powerful gateway for introducing the LEOLink system to this lucrative and rapidly evolving landscape.

The need for such a scalable, unified solution is paramount. Cities are no longer just collections of buildings and roads; they are complex ecosystems generating vast amounts of data. The ability to connect tens of thousands of devices seamlessly across a city, and then replicate that model in hundreds of cities worldwide, is the core challenge this partnership aims to solve. For a city manager, this means a single platform to monitor and manage a critical piece of infrastructure, regardless of geographical boundaries. This approach stands in contrast to piecemeal solutions that can lead to fragmented, difficult-to-manage systems.

The Bright ROI: Safety, Savings, and Sustainability

While the technology is futuristic, the benefits for municipalities are concrete and immediate. The joint solution has already been put to the test in a diverse range of urban environments across the Americas. In Bath, Maine, the intelligent lighting network is helping the city improve nighttime road safety while optimizing energy consumption. In the dense urban environment of the Boston metropolitan area, the system is proving its ability to manage a high-density network while delivering centralized analytics.

The economic case is compelling. Industry-wide studies show that converting to LED streetlights alone can reduce energy consumption by 50% or more. When coupled with the intelligent controls offered by systems like LEOLink, which allow for dimming and dynamic adjustments, the energy savings can climb as high as 70%. For city budgets strained by rising energy costs, this represents a significant financial relief.

Furthermore, the operational efficiencies are transformative. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, the upgrade has turned traditional streetlights into a remotely managed system. Instead of relying on citizen complaints or costly nighttime patrols to identify outages, public works departments can receive real-time alerts. The system's AI-driven predictive maintenance capabilities can analyze performance data to forecast potential failures, allowing for proactive repairs that are cheaper and less disruptive. This shift from reactive to predictive management not only cuts maintenance costs but also improves overall infrastructure resilience and public trust. Similar deployments are underway in Syracuse, New York, San Francisco, and with utility provider DTE Energy in Michigan, as well as across Mexico and Latin America, demonstrating the solution's wide-ranging applicability.

Navigating a Competitive and Complex Market

LEOTEK, 1NCE, and SoftBank are entering a dynamic and increasingly competitive field. The broader IoT in Smart Cities market is on an explosive growth trajectory, expected to expand from roughly $195 billion in 2023 to nearly $1 trillion by 2032. Established giants like Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) and Itron, along with a host of other technology firms, are all vying for a piece of this market.

However, the integrated nature of this partnership—combining AI, hardware, and a unified global connectivity platform—offers a powerful differentiator. Many cities have struggled with pilot projects that fail to scale because of connectivity issues or a lack of deep data integration. By addressing these pain points from the outset, the alliance is positioned to offer a more robust and scalable solution.

Security remains a paramount concern as urban infrastructure becomes more connected. Each of the tens of thousands of smart devices in a city represents a potential entry point for cyber threats. Securing this vast network requires a multi-layered approach, from encrypted data transmission to secure device authentication and continuous network monitoring, all of which are critical components that providers like 1NCE must deliver to build trust with municipal clients. As cities continue their digital transformation, the success of these ambitious projects will hinge not just on the brightness of the lights, but on the intelligence, security, and scalability of the network that connects them.