Smart City & Utility Industry News

TALQ Protocol 2.7.0 Advances Street Lighting Interoperability With DALI D4i and Zhaga

Feb 27, 2026

The TALQ Consortium has published Version 2.7.0 of its Smart City Protocol, marking a significant alignment milestone between three of the outdoor lighting industry’s most prominent interoperability frameworks. Released in February 2026, the...

A Single Software Update Knocks Out 73,000 Smart Water Meters In Texas

Feb 25, 2026

The City of Plano, Texas, is deploying temporary workers to manually read approximately 88,000 water meters after a botched firmware update rendered over 73,000 electronic transmission units inoperable, effectively dismantling a smart metering...

Brent Council Deploys AI-Powered Cameras to Tackle Illegal Dumping Across the Borough

Feb 25, 2026

Brent Council has introduced artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance cameras at fly-tipping hotspots across the London borough as part of a broader crackdown on illegal waste disposal. The motion-activated cameras, installed at council-managed...

Hawaii Becomes First U.S. State to Deploy Statewide Automated Traffic Enforcement

Feb 25, 2026

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) has awarded a 10-year, approximately $160 million contract to Verra Mobility to scale its dual-purpose red-light and speed camera network from 17 locations to 187 across all major islands. The deal...

UK Deploys Drone Fleets and AI Screening Tools in £15.6M War on Waste Crime

Feb 25, 2026

England’s environmental regulator is rolling out an aggressive new enforcement package combining aerial surveillance, automated licence screening, and expanded criminal intelligence operations to dismantle a waste crime economy estimated at...

Ubicquia Closes $106M Series D To Scale AI-Powered Grid and Streetlight Platforms

Feb 25, 2026

Fort Lauderdale-based Ubicquia has secured $106 million in Series D financing, marking the company’s largest capital raise to date and positioning the intelligent infrastructure firm to deepen its artificial intelligence capabilities, pursue...

Vizzia Closes €30M Series B To Scale Municipal Video Surveillance Across Europe

Feb 19, 2026

French public safety startup Vizzia has secured €30 million in a Series B funding round, raising its total capital to approximately €50 million. The company, which builds 4G/5G-connected cameras and AI-enhanced software for local authorities,...

From Roman Aqueducts to Digital Twin: Modernising Naples’ 2,500 km Water Network

Feb 19, 2026

New York City Quadruples Red-Light Camera Network in $998M Enforcement Overhaul

Feb 18, 2026

The New York City Department of Transportation has finalized a five-year, $998 million contract with Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) to dramatically scale up its automated traffic enforcement infrastructure across all five boroughs. The deal, which...

San Lorenzo De El Escorial Awards €1.5M Smart City Contract To Digitalize Historic Tourism Hub

Feb 18, 2026

The Ayuntamiento de San Lorenzo de El Escorial has awarded a €1.5 million contract to telecommunications firm Ibersontel to deliver a comprehensive smart city transformation across 13 distinct workstreams. The project, funded through the European...