by Brianna Crandall — March 4, 2019 — The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), which represents the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks, together with global safety science organization UL, announced last week a new agreement to work together, through TIA’s Smart Buildings Program, to accelerate the development of a common framework for smart buildings.
TIA and UL are collaborating on an online aggregation portal designed to educate and inform stakeholders on the multiple aspects and solutions available for the smart buildings market. The two organizations signed an agreement to share commercial, technical, and standardization insights to further their work in the smart buildings ecosystem. TIA and UL will additionally focus on benchmarking, measurements, assessments, certification, and registration in the areas of connectivity, interoperability, safety, security — both cyber and physical, resiliency and sustainability for buildings.
TIA CEO Wes Johnston pointed out:
There are more than one thousand smart city initiatives taking place around the world. Together, TIA and UL are laying the groundwork for industry-wide standards that will foster common frameworks that will enable better connectivity, safety and reliability across smart buildings projects. Together we can go deeper, wider, faster, and more comprehensively.
Harry Smeenk, TIA’s senior vice president of Technology Programs, stated:
Smart buildings have the potential to improve efficiencies and safety, reduce costs, and dramatically improve the Quality of Experience for tenants, visitors, employees, and others within buildings. Working with UL — a trusted name in research, standards development and certification — we aim to standardize certification scheme requirements to accelerate technology and building development across the globe.
Weifang Zhou, president of UL’s Connected Technologies business unit, remarked:
Around the world, we are seeing more cities commit to developing smarter infrastructure and smart buildings are a key component of their respective visions. This collaboration with TIA presents an opportunity to help advance societal well-being by helping to bring visibility to the value inherent in smart buildings and, ultimately, smart cities.
The two organizations will also work to create a list of relevant standards for smart buildings, develop training content for smart buildings characteristics and criteria, and provide information on the value proposition of smart buildings.
TIA’s Smart Buildings Program is committed to helping develop a smart buildings ecosystem that unites connectivity, interoperability, communications, and capacity to create a scalable foundation for creating the smart city.
According to the TIA website, while areas such as smart HVAC, lighting and kiosks directories are integral components of a smart building, TIA and its member companies have identified additional areas of consideration when designing and constructing a smart building, including:
- Defining cabling and other integration requirements;
- Certifying neutral host/infrastructure to ensure interoperability;
- Identifying broadband and capacity requirements;
- Scoping of in-building requirements to include FirstNet; and
- Identifying revenue-generating opportunities for buildings and rooftop real estate.
The program creates a framework of best practices that combines functional and performance requirements with adequate security, reliability, and availability to provide a safe and connected environment. For more information, visit the Smart Buildings Program website.
