Street lights are no longer just tools for illuminating dark roads—they have become vital infrastructure for building smart cities. In recent years, the concept of smart street lighting has gained traction worldwide, driven by goals of energy efficiency, urban safety, connectivity, and sustainability. Smart street lights now integrate LED technology, IoT connectivity, sensors, and cloud platforms, enabling cities to manage energy use, collect data, and provide community services more effectively.

Behind these projects are innovative companies that specialize in designing, manufacturing, and implementing smart city street light projects. This article explores the leading companies shaping the market, highlights major deployments, and provides guidance on selecting the right partner for your city or project.

What Is a Smart City Street Light?

A smart street light is an LED-based luminaire integrated with digital technologies such as:

• IoT controllers for remote monitoring and dimming.

• Sensors for motion, traffic, pollution, and weather data collection.

• Smart poles that include Wi-Fi, security cameras, and EV charging points.

• Cloud-based management platforms for centralized control and predictive maintenance.

Unlike traditional street lights, smart city solutions offer adaptive lighting—brightening when pedestrians or vehicles approach and dimming during low-traffic hours. This reduces energy consumption by up to 70–80% and extends fixture life, making them a cornerstone of sustainable city planning.

Why Cities Are Investing in Smart Street Lighting

1. Energy Savings
   Traditional high-pressure sodium or halogen lamps consume huge amounts of electricity. Smart LED systems significantly cut costs.

2. Enhanced Public Safety
   With better illumination, integrated cameras, and emergency alerts, smart lights help reduce accidents and crime.

3. Smart City Integration
   Street lights become data hubs, hosting sensors for air quality, noise, and traffic flow—key elements of urban planning.

4. Operational Efficiency
   Cloud-based systems reduce maintenance costs by detecting failures in real-time and optimizing repair schedules.

5. Sustainability
   Reduced CO₂ emissions and solar-powered models align with cities’ climate targets.

Leading Smart City Street Light Project Companies

1. Signify (formerly Philips Lighting)

Signify is one of the most recognized names in lighting innovation. Their BrightSites smart poles combine LED lighting with digital connectivity, integrating Wi-Fi, sensors, displays, and EV charging. In Huanggang, China, Signify deployed thousands of connected poles managed via the Interact IoT platform, helping reduce carbon emissions and modernize public infrastructure.

2. Itron

Itron is a U.S.-based technology company focusing on energy and resource management. They were key to Chicago’s $160 million smart streetlight retrofit, replacing 100,000 lights with LEDs connected to a smart control system. The project is estimated to save the city $10 million annually in energy and maintenance costs.

3. Ubicquia

Ubicquia specializes in retrofitting existing infrastructure into smart city assets. Their UbiCell® smart streetlight controller turns conventional poles into connected devices, enabling adaptive dimming, outage reporting, and integration with city utilities. This solution is especially cost-effective for cities that want to modernize quickly without replacing entire fixtures.

4. Tvilight

A European leader in adaptive lighting solutions, Tvilight provides an open IoT platform with products such as CitySense and OpenSky controllers. Their systems use motion detection to provide on-demand lighting, reducing energy consumption by up to 80%. Tvilight is known for end-to-end support, from system design to post-installation monitoring.

5. LONGJOIN (China)

LONGJOIN has over two decades of experience in manufacturing intelligent street lighting systems for domestic and international markets. Their products meet CE, UL, RoHS, and FCC certifications, making them export-ready. The company has supplied large smart city projects across North America, Europe, and Asia.

6. Rongwen + Silver Spring Networks

In Guangzhou, China, Rongwen Lighting partnered with Silver Spring Networks (later acquired by Itron) to deploy over 30,000 connected smart streetlights. Managed by the StreetLight.Vision (SLV) platform, the system achieved 70% energy savings and became a showcase project for Chinese smart cities.

7. MASONLED (China)

MASONLED focuses on customized LED public lighting systems optimized for energy savings and smart integration. They serve city projects that demand high-quality fixtures with options for adaptive lighting and solar-powered solutions.

8. Enel X

A division of the Enel Group, Enel X offers adaptive smart lighting systems that can cut energy usage by up to 90%. Their smart poles often include cameras, EV charging, and Wi-Fi hotspots, creating multifunctional infrastructure for urban areas.

9. Silicon Labs

While not a direct lighting manufacturer, Silicon Labs provides wireless IoT hardware and secure connectivity platforms that power many smart street lighting systems. Their technology ensures reliability and cybersecurity in large-scale deployments.

10. Comlight, Lightinus, Citintelly, Vimoc

These smaller but innovative companies provide adaptive lighting controls and IoT systems that cater to specific smart city projects, especially in Europe and North America.

Case Studies: Real-World Smart Street Light Projects

• Chicago, USA: 100,000 smart LED streetlights installed by Itron, creating one of the largest retrofits in the world.

• Guangzhou, China: 30,000 smart lights deployed by Rongwen + Silver Spring Networks, saving 70% in energy.

• Amsterdam, Netherlands: Tvilight systems reduced power use by 80% with motion-sensor adaptive lighting.

• Huanggang, China: Signify’s BrightSites poles integrated IoT services, Wi-Fi, and LED displays in industrial parks.

Choosing the Right Smart Street Light Project Company

When selecting a partner, consider these factors:

1. Project Scale

   • For large municipal rollouts, global leaders like Signify, Itron, or Enel X are suitable.

   • For smaller pilot projects, Ubicquia or Tvilight provide cost-effective, modular solutions.

2. Technology Stack

   • Need IoT-ready poles? Choose companies offering integrated sensors and connectivity platforms.

   • Want renewable power? Select solar-enabled providers like MASONLED or LONGJOIN.

3. Compliance & Certifications
   Ensure products meet global standards (CE, UL, RoHS) for safety and import eligibility.

4. Support & Maintenance
   Some providers offer full lifecycle services—from planning to remote monitoring—reducing long-term operational risks.

Future Trends in Smart Street Lighting

1. AI-Powered Systems: Predictive maintenance and adaptive lighting powered by artificial intelligence.

2. Integration with EV Infrastructure: Smart poles doubling as EV charging stations.

3. Data-Driven Cities: Streetlights acting as hubs for environmental monitoring, 5G deployment, and public Wi-Fi.

4. Sustainability Push: Wider adoption of solar-hybrid streetlights to achieve net-zero carbon targets.

Conclusion

Smart street lighting is at the heart of the smart city revolution, combining energy savings, safety improvements, and digital infrastructure in one system. Companies like Signify, Itron, Tvilight, Ubicquia, and LONGJOIN are leading the way with innovative solutions that adapt to the needs of cities worldwide.

The right smart city street light project company depends on your goals—whether it’s cost-effective retrofits, large-scale municipal upgrades, or cutting-edge IoT integration. With the global smart city market projected to grow rapidly, smart street lights will play a defining role in making urban spaces safer, greener, and more connected.