And we could also be getting solar-powered roads…

Dubai has a no shortage of well-lit roads and highways. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a major intersection that isn’t lit up like a villa during Eid, thanks to the many lampposts dotted about the city.

Now, imagine if those lampposts could be used for more than just illumination. That’s the impetus behind a newly announced partnership between DEWA and France’s Colas Group, with plans to roll out a number of low-energy light poles across Dubai as early as 2018.

The kicker? They’ll also be able to broadcast WiFi. That means no more chewing through your monthly mobile data quota when out and about. Hooray!

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In a statement released by the Dubai Media Office, MD and CEO of DEWA, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer (who headed the delegation’s visit to the company’s headquarters in Nice, France), said that the new poles would utilise a combination of different smart technologies whilst being environmentally friendly.

“The smart poles that will be produced in the first quarter of 2018, combine multiple innovative features that support smart-city infrastructure according to the highest international standards. These features support smart and green mobility, autonomous driving, Wi-Fi internet, Internet of Things (IoT), energy-saving lighting, environmental intelligence, and other innovative features that streamline the smart-city transformation.”

Based on that laundry list of features, that basically makes them whatever the supercomputer equivalent of lampposts is. We wonder how similar they’ll look to the futuristic ones (pictured above) found at the night swimming beach in Umm Suqeim 1.

The delegation also took the time to look at some solar-powered panels that can be installed into existing road surfaces. The innovative tech could be used further down the line to harness the power of the sun to charge electric vehicles as they become more prevalent in the UAE.

While no date was given regarding a roll out of the solar-powered road panels, it’s clear that they, along with the WiFi-enabled lampposts, are just another series of key steps in Dubai’s quest to become the smartest city in the world.

Bring it on, we say.

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Images: screengrabs